The bride is my daughter-in-law, a gentle and virtuous girl. My son was away on a business trip, so I decided to hire a confinement sister-in-law for her.
However, I didn't expect that this decision would give me a whole new understanding of tradition.
When the confinement lady first arrived at our house, the first impression was not very good. Late at night, when I was drinking water in the living room, I happened to see her walking out of the confinement room in disheveled clothes, and I could see a man's face clearly.
My daughter-in-law heard the voice and hurriedly walked out, and she comforted me while asking what was going on with my sister-in-law. The confinement lady squirmed and explained that it was her son who came to see her, but I definitely didn't mean that.
Seeing that the confinement lady was still innocent with a pretended innocent face, I was angry in my heart. I told her again and again that she was not allowed to go out at night.
After the events of that night, although the confinement lady apologized, the uneasiness in my heart could not be calmed.
One day, when I went to the confinement room to check on my daughter-in-law and grandson, I happened to hear a quarrel between my sister-in-law and my mother-in-law.
I couldn't believe my ears.
The confinement sister-in-law cried and complained that her mother-in-law was unfair to her, often scolded her for not working well, and lost her temper with her. I couldn't tell the difference between the two disputes, and I didn't know how to deal with this family feud.
When my daughter-in-law found out about the incident, she also joined in, and she felt that the atmosphere in my house was getting heavier and heavier and unbearable.
I felt like I couldn't help myself, and I was caught off guard by the complexity of my family relationships. I ambivalently wanted to protect my daughter-in-law, but I had to face my mother-in-law's accusations.
The confinement lady insisted that she was out to visit her children, and said that the incident was a misunderstanding. Her expression was firm, and there was a strength in her voice.
"I admit that I did not consult you in advance on this matter, and it was my negligence. Yuesao's tone was sincere, "I know what I did wrong, but I really just want to see the child."
However, the daughter-in-law has always been worried about this matter. She thinks that the confinement lady's behavior is disrespectful to our family, and she is worried that if she continues like this, she will be unrestrained.
This leaves me in a dilemma.
The dispute between the two sides lasted several days. On the one hand, I feel that as a parent, I should be tolerant, but on the other hand, I also understand my daughter-in-law's worries and worries.
In traditional families, filial piety, loyalty, filial piety and righteousness are valued, but whether these concepts should be enshrined as the norm and whether they can be adapted according to the actual situation are all questions that I began to think about.