Mothers-in-law generally get a pretty bad deal. We often hear women complaining about them, their tormenting attitude and the agonies that accompany the bitter relationship. Even men are sometimes found complaining about the dominating attitude of their mothers-in-law.

This may be one reason why the Mother-in-Law Day, which is observed on Oct. 25 every year, fails to catch on like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or even Grandparents’ Day.

Despite all the negative traits associated with them, we know there are women who support and take care of their daughters- and sons-in-law and are a blessing for them.

They have never enjoyed the kind of respect that the biological mothers receive. This relationship needs to be brought back to life and events like Mother-in-Law Day, for instance, could be the right opportunities to focus on the positive sides of the relationship. This is mainly because the image of a mother-in-law has been reduced to become synonymous with negative traits like crude behavior and argumentative nature than their motherly bearing and caring attitude.

No wonder then that the newly wed sons- and daughters-in-laws begin developing a dislike for their mothers-in-law without judging them. I therefore strongly feel that we not only need to change our perception with regards to mothers-in-law, but also to use every opportunity, like festivals or a Mother-in-Law Day to honor them and make them feel that they are as important as one’s own mother.