Your mother-in-law is not your friend – Counsellor Lutterodt

The seemingly never-ending feud between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law is as old as history.

According to Counsellor Lutterodt, the antidote to this problem is maintaining a respectable distance that does not call for over friendliness.

Counsellor Lutterodt revealed this during a discussion on ‘Relationships between In-laws’ on TV3 NewDay.

He emphasised that women familiar with their husband’s parents, especially mothers, invoke problems in their marriages.

“Anybody who praises the mother-in-law has a problem. Anybody nice with the mother-in-law will have a problem in future. You can never be a friend to your mother-in-law. It is wickedness and disrespect.”

Counsellor Lutterodt further explained that he is not promoting violence, but the relation between in-laws should not be termed as friendly.

He said that indulgent behaviour may overstep boundaries and invite disrespect.

“My wife and my mother can never be friends. They don’t fight, but they can’t be friends. The respect must be there. The respect is that she is an in-law, and you respect her at that level. You don’t have to be nice to your mother-in-law.

“Don’t call her your mother. She is your mother-in-law. Don’t mince the words. She is your husband’s mother, not your mother. And you can never be her daughter. Keep that in your head,” Counsellor Lutterodt concluded.