Dear Massi, I hate my mother-in-law. She hates me because she thinks I am not good enough for her son.

She calls my family working class because my mum works and she doesn’t.

My husband was taking me to a work do and I wore a short dress.

My mother-in-law gave me a right lecture and said I shouldn’t be showing my legs like that and if any of her friends saw me I would be embarrassing the family.

She said I was ‘a loose character’ and that there was name for women who dressed like me.

My husband had already warned me to wear a long coat, but I wanted to wear something else that looked better with the dress. 

I was too upset to go after that. My husband can’t reason with his mum. She guilts him into doing whatever she wants, so he tries to avoid being around her.

I am too upset to talk to my mother-in-law but we live in the same house so I can’t really avoid her.

Massi says, It is, of course, up to you to dress however you choose to.

However, when one is living with their in-laws, it is only fair to compromise when there is a potential for conflict.

Whilst your mother-in-law was unfair in her harsh comments towards you, your husband pre-empted this by advising you to cover your dress to avoid his mother being able to criticise you. 

Understand that your mother-in-law may be set in her ways and her respective traditions and may not understand that your lifestyle and dress sense is different to her own.

As frustrating as her stance is, as long as you and your husband are united, try not to let his mum’s words affect you adversely.