I need advice on how to handle the hate between my husband and mom. The relationship between my mom and husband didn’t start out so sour. They liked each other – or at least put up with each other – for quite some time before fissures erupted since the birth of our child. After that, I had a bout of undiagnosed postpartum depression and went back to work in a really bad place until the entire world shut down from the pandemic. It’s taken me a while now to finally feel whole again.

My husband has a very intense job that he’s passionate about, and he’s able to really provide for us as a family. This has given us freedom to let me step back from work while we raise our child, which is a really big privilege, even if being a stay-at-home-mom was never my plan. I think my mom has really been irritated that this shift to me being at home means that some of who I once was is now missing, in addition to the fact that my husband has stepped back from more active parenting.

My marriage was brought to the brink during the pandemic. I never discussed these details with my mom. I did consult with a therapist, and my husband and I hashed things out (albeit not everything), but we both feel a huge weight off our shoulders and a recommitment to the marriage. During that phase, my mom made it clear she’s unhappy about how the bulk of responsibility is shouldered on me. Her issues are that my husband doesn’t engage with our son, uses his phone too much while with our son, and that he places blame on me for small things (e.g. misplaced or expired item). Interestingly, these are all things we are slowly working on as a couple. I never told my mom this or complained to her about these issues. She just feels he’s not living up to the really engaged dad that I have. This all means that my mom has now become passive-aggressive and rude toward my husband.

After a (too extended) stay over the holidays with my parents, things boiled over. My husband has now said he will not see my mom until an apology and action plan is in place on how she’ll not bully him going forward. My mom is really even more upset at his screen addiction and disappearing act. I think it’s a cycle that feeds itself, where my husband spends more time checked out and she gets angrier. These are two people I can’t live without. The answer is not divorce, and the answer is not cutting off family. Both of these people are flawed in their own way and I’ve learned how to love them anyway. My husband will never live up to my dad as a parent, because I didn’t marry my dad. My mom will never back down from making sure that my life is filled with happiness, but my husband has made it clear he just wants me stress-free and happy. Help me please. I’ve been a wreck for days.

– Wreck