I never realized this until a few years ago, but my mom underwent a Korean mother-in-law test. My wife said that she passed the test with flying colors. It happened like this.
 
When I returned home from the Peace Corps, my Korean bride returned with me. Of course she was anxious to meet my family and her new in-laws. After we passed through customs at Sea-Tac Airport, she met for the first time her bothers-in-law, her sisters-in-law, her father-in-law, and with most apprehension her new mother-in-law. They all hugged my new wife and welcomed her into the family. But what kind of mother-in-law would this be?

We lived with my mother and father for the first few months of our life together in America. There was a lot of adjusting to do. My only task was to adjust to a new wife, but she had to adjust to a new husband, to a new culture and to a new mother-in-law. But what kind of mother-in-law would this be?
She told me stories of the typical Korean mother-in-law. She was first a girl who was born as somebody¡¯s daughter. She had no rights or authority. She next grew into a woman and married. She became somebody¡¯s wife and still had no rights or authority. She gave birth to son, but still she was powerless. Finally, finally, her son married and she became a MOTHER-IN-LAW. She becomes a living terror ruling over her son¡¯s wife with a vengeance. This is especially true if the wife is unlucky enough to live with the son¡¯s parents. But what kind of mother-in-law would this be?

One of the first things I did when I arrived in America was to buy a car. I saw a white Opal in used car lot. Some of my buddies said it was a good deal so I bought it and drove it home. I did not consult my new wife and she was not part of my decision making process. My lovely wife did not like car. I¡¯m not sure why. Maybe it was the stick shift because she thought an automatic was easier, or maybe she didn¡¯t like it because I bought it without her approval. We drove around the block in the car and entered the house. We started to shout at each other in the kitchen. My mother was sitting at the kitchen table just listening to the angry words. My wife knew that in Korea, a son¡¯s mother would always take the side of her son against his wife. But what kind of mother-in-law would this be?

With tears in her eyes, my wife looked to her mother-in-law. My mom looked at me and said, ¡°Chris, you have a wife now. You should not have bought that car without talking to your wife about it first¡±. I sighed in resignation, nodded my head in agreement, and the next day I sold the car. A week or so later, we shopped together and bought a Toyota. The relationship between my wife and my mother has seen its ups and downs. But in the kitchen on that day, my wife discovered what kind of mother-in-law she would have.
I never realized this until a few years ago, but my mom underwent a Korean mother-in-law test. My wife said that she passed the test with flying colors. It happened like this.
 
When I returned home from the Peace Corps, my Korean bride returned with me. Of course she was anxious to meet my family and her new in-laws. After we passed through customs at Sea-Tac Airport, she met for the first time her bothers-in-law, her sisters-in-law, her father-in-law, and with most apprehension her new mother-in-law. They all hugged my new wife and welcomed her into the family. But what kind of mother-in-law would this be?

We lived with my mother and father for the first few months of our life together in America. There was a lot of adjusting to do. My only task was to adjust to a new wife, but she had to adjust to a new husband, to a new culture and to a new mother-in-law. But what kind of mother-in-law would this be?
She told me stories of the typical Korean mother-in-law. She was first a girl who was born as somebody¡¯s daughter. She had no rights or authority. She next grew into a woman and married. She became somebody¡¯s wife and still had no rights or authority. She gave birth to son, but still she was powerless. Finally, finally, her son married and she became a MOTHER-IN-LAW. She becomes a living terror ruling over her son¡¯s wife with a vengeance. This is especially true if the wife is unlucky enough to live with the son¡¯s parents. But what kind of mother-in-law would this be?

One of the first things I did when I arrived in America was to buy a car. I saw a white Opal in used car lot. Some of my buddies said it was a good deal so I bought it and drove it home. I did not consult my new wife and she was not part of my decision making process. My lovely wife did not like car. I¡¯m not sure why. Maybe it was the stick shift because she thought an automatic was easier, or maybe she didn¡¯t like it because I bought it without her approval. We drove around the block in the car and entered the house. We started to shout at each other in the kitchen. My mother was sitting at the kitchen table just listening to the angry words. My wife knew that in Korea, a son¡¯s mother would always take the side of her son against his wife. But what kind of mother-in-law would this be?

With tears in her eyes, my wife looked to her mother-in-law. My mom looked at me and said, ¡°Chris, you have a wife now. You should not have bought that car without talking to your wife about it first¡±. I sighed in resignation, nodded my head in agreement, and the next day I sold the car. A week or so later, we shopped together and bought a Toyota. The relationship between my wife and my mother has seen its ups and downs. But in the kitchen on that day, my wife discovered what kind of mother-in-law she would have.