I feared going to see Margaret, my mother-in-law, because she was always criticising how I raised my kids. “You spoil Alex with too many toys,” she said, and I kept hearing those words. I knew I was doing my best, though.
When I got there, Alex was crying on the floor of the living room. Margaret said that by getting rid of his favourite things, she was teaching him to be thankful. I was very angry.
“Respect and gratitude are important, but not when you’re mean,” I told myself as I tried to calm down. Margaret loved the fine china that her late mother gave her. I put all of her daily dishes into a box and only kept her fine china.
“Just because someone doesn’t show appreciation as expected doesn’t mean they’re not grateful,” I stated. “You wouldn’t want someone to throw away your fine china, would you?”
She felt guilty and realised what she had done. Margaret’s eyes got bigger. As Alex and I left, I thought about whether I had been too tough.
After some time, Margaret came to my door, feeling ashamed and sorry for what she had done. She gave Alex’s toys back and admitted she was wrong.
“I realise now that just because something isn’t used often doesn’t mean it isn’t cherished,” she told me.
I took the toys and gave her the plates. “I’m glad we could learn something important from this.”
Alex smiled when he saw his toys again. Margaret’s tears showed that she got it. It helped her see that, so she thanked him.
We learnt that you should teach with love and care instead of taking things away.
