My mother, who grew up with two other sisters and five brothers, likes to quote my grandfather, who, according to her, would always say, "It's hard to keep two women happy in the same house."

Never does that seem to be more true than in the case of wives (or girlfriends) and mothers. How do you negotiate the two? That is the question BaltAmour reader dk asks.

In an effort to save money, dk is considering moving his family in with his mother. But his wife is not having it. His mother does not show her the proper respect, she says, and if they move in with his mother, his wife says "the children will not grow." On the other side of the table, the mother isn't standing with completely open arms either. "My mother is not fully ready for our return. My mother can be ready if my wife makes the request to my mom. My wife will not."

So what should dk do? Caught between a rock and a hard place -- a mother and a wife who will not budge -- should he continue to rent and avoid mother-wife conflict, or should he and his family move in?


(Photo by nicothein at stock.xchng)
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