I am very close to my mom. Always have been. I consider her to be my best friend and I love taking her to lunch each year for Mother’s Day and giving her a special gift. I like my mother-in-law well enough, but just don’t have a similar connection. Do I have to acknowledge her on Mother’s Day?
Your mother-in-law is obviously not your mother, so technically there is no reason to acknowledge her on Mother’s Day. That, hopefully, is being done by your husband. If, however, you want to send a mother-in-law Mother’s Day card or give her a small gift, that’s fine. I don’t think you would be disloyal to your own mom by acknowledging your mother-in-law. Go with your gut!
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I love how you’ve said, Kathy, that you hope Mr remembers to take care of his mother on Mother’s Day. I’ve noticed that in many long-term relationships the responsibility for remembering special days and buying gifts tends to fall on one person. That person carries an unfair load of ’emotional labor’ and if that’s the case in this instance, Mrs may be feeling worried that her Mother-In-Law won’t receive anything if she doesn’t take on the responsibility herself. Maybe she could encourage her husband to be prepared more for Mother’s Day- pop it in the calendar with reminders to buy a card and a gift that he needs to do on his own and then she can sign it and leave it at that. Just an idea!