My Mother Went Back Home After Just One Day Because of My Husband’s Hurtful Words: “Mom, please don’t kiss my baby on the face like that, it’s not sanitary…”
My mom went back home, and all I could do was sit and cry. After hearing that I had given birth, she arranged everything at home so she could come to the city and help me take care of the baby.
She had only arrived yesterday, but by this morning, she was already packing her things to leave.
I grew up in the countryside, but I married a man from the city. Since my husband’s family is large and well-off, right after the wedding we bought our own place.
My husband is generally a good man, but he’s very particular about food, clothing, and cleanliness — so meticulous that it can sometimes make others feel uncomfortable.
As his wife, I’ve had to change a lot, slowly giving up my “carefree countryside” habits. But I always told myself those were good qualities in him that I should learn from.
When I was close to giving birth, my husband mentioned that since his mother was still working, he would hire someone to help me during my recovery. But I insisted that my mom would arrange things back home so she could stay with me for about a month.
He said, “It’s fine if your mom just visits, but I don’t want to trouble her.” Still, because it was important to me, he agreed.
Three days after I gave birth, my mom arrived. Just the thought of having her by my side during those first weeks brought tears of relief to my eyes.
But that happiness didn’t last long.
The day she came, my milk hadn’t come in yet, so while I was preparing formula, my baby started crying. My mom picked him up, soothing him as she playfully scolded and kissed his cheeks and forehead.
Right at that moment, my husband walked in. He took the baby from her arms and said:
“Mom, please don’t kiss him on the face like that, it’s not sanitary. He’s still so little and can easily get sick.”
My mom didn’t say a word. She just stayed silent and stepped outside.
The next morning, after my husband had gone to work, I suddenly saw my mom with her bag packed, ready to return to the countryside.
She told me she couldn’t stay because my husband clearly looked down on her, treating her like some dirty, unhygienic villager.
I tried to explain that he’s just overly cautious about cleanliness and sometimes clumsy with his words — that he didn’t mean to insult her. But she wouldn’t listen.
I called my husband, telling him that he’d hurt my mother and that she wanted to leave. I hoped he would talk to her, apologize, and convince her to stay. Instead, he said:
“If your mom doesn’t want to stay, just let her go. If she gets so easily offended even over the baby, then I don’t think I can cater to that. Our child is still small, his immune system is weak, and older people often carry illnesses. That’s not good for him. If she really loves her grandchild, she should understand and be more careful.”
So my mom left, and I just sat there crying. She had rearranged everything back home just to come help me, only to leave after a single day — carrying with her the hurt of being told by her son-in-law that she was “unclean” and a risk to the baby.
The more I think of my mom, the more upset I feel toward my husband. He can speak to me however he wants, but when it comes to his mother-in-law, it should be different. Who wouldn’t feel offended by the words he used?
And yet he still insists he wasn’t wrong, that my mom was just being overly sensitive. Sometimes I wonder — does my husband deep down look down on my family, just because we come from the countryside?