When you become a mother you might be lucky enough to benefit from the
support of a mother-in-law (MIL). your MIL a kindly, rounded doting grandma or the best friend you'll ever have, she will adhere to Mother-In-Law lore.
LONDON:
Here is a break from the usual monster-in-law stories! According to a
latest study, couples who live with their mother-in-law tend to have
healthier offsprings. A Sheffield University study found that married
couples with a mother-in-law living nearby have more babies. Records
also show these children are less likely to die in infancy, the 'Daily
Mail' reported.
Although, the study revealed that grandfathers seem to have less impact on kids, Dr Virpi Lummaa who conducted the study said, "That doesn't mean they don't do anything. It just doesn't translate into better survival of their grandchildren".
The study discussed at the Euroscience 2012 conference in Dublin, involved analysis of 300 years of church records, the most recent of which were from 2000.
The data which was used to track births, marriages and deaths in farming communities in Finland , found that sons and daughters tend to marry younger if their mother was alive. They also had more children, and left smaller gaps between babies.
Dr Lummaa proposed that as the influence was only evident when a mother-in-law lived nearby, the affected families probably benefited from an extra pair of hands, as well as the additional love and attention the children received.
The study said there was little difference between maternal and paternal mothers-in-law , but previous research suggests that a mother's mother provides the greatest benefits. Age could be a factor here, as men tend to marry later than women, their mothers are also likely to be older.
Although, the study revealed that grandfathers seem to have less impact on kids, Dr Virpi Lummaa who conducted the study said, "That doesn't mean they don't do anything. It just doesn't translate into better survival of their grandchildren".
The study discussed at the Euroscience 2012 conference in Dublin, involved analysis of 300 years of church records, the most recent of which were from 2000.
The data which was used to track births, marriages and deaths in farming communities in Finland , found that sons and daughters tend to marry younger if their mother was alive. They also had more children, and left smaller gaps between babies.
Dr Lummaa proposed that as the influence was only evident when a mother-in-law lived nearby, the affected families probably benefited from an extra pair of hands, as well as the additional love and attention the children received.
The study said there was little difference between maternal and paternal mothers-in-law , but previous research suggests that a mother's mother provides the greatest benefits. Age could be a factor here, as men tend to marry later than women, their mothers are also likely to be older.
Breastfeeding is WRONG
However liberal you and your friends are and however many cafes and restaurants you can freely whip your bangers out in, the one place you won't be able to breastfeed without utter shame and embarrassment will be your mother-in-law's house. You will be shown to a quiet room
upstairs where you will stay until "the deed" is done. And if you plan to breastfeed beyond six months, beware of the disapproving stares/tuts.
Rub whisky on your baby's gum to help teething
"We never had any trouble with teething in our day," your mother-in-law will say, which will baffle you if your own baby has been up every night for the last week howling in pain.
Until, that is, she reveals that she rubbed whisky/speed/cocaine on her son's gums up until the age of three.
Pinch the baby to wake it up
It's a good idea to dress your baby in extra-thick layers when MIL comes to visit as you know full well that if the bairn's asleep and you are out of the room there will be tears. This is because mothers-in-law love to pinch. They can't help it.
You pinch a baby to
wake it up. Yeah and you punch it to get it back to sleep....
If the baby cries, put it in another room
"We never had any trouble with screaming babies in our day."
No that's because the MIL mantra is to put a baby in the other room if it's crying. Simple. That's why when you arrive to collect your darling offspring it will ALWAYS have bright red cheeks and tear stains down its cheeks. But it will be quiet and that's the main thing (this is because it's lost its voice).
Weetabix is RIGHT
Just as soon as your baby opens its mouth, for some reason your mother-in-law will be desperate to start feeding it Weetabix. Despite your pleas that it's a bit salty and sugary, the reply will be "well her father had it every day until he was five and it never did him any harm".
"It never did him any harm" is a classic mother-in-law mantra. Being slapped on the legs all
round Asda probably never did me any harm but that doesn't make it right...
(The author would like to assert that her own mother-in-law is blooming great.)
How do you get on with your mother-in-law?
However liberal you and your friends are and however many cafes and restaurants you can freely whip your bangers out in, the one place you won't be able to breastfeed without utter shame and embarrassment will be your mother-in-law's house. You will be shown to a quiet room
upstairs where you will stay until "the deed" is done. And if you plan to breastfeed beyond six months, beware of the disapproving stares/tuts.
i
Remember, in your MIL's day anybody who breastfed beyond two months
was either (a) a hippy-freak, (b) that woman who lived next-door-but-one
and kept goats or (c) a dairy cow.
i
Rub whisky on your baby's gum to help teething
"We never had any trouble with teething in our day," your mother-in-law will say, which will baffle you if your own baby has been up every night for the last week howling in pain.
Until, that is, she reveals that she rubbed whisky/speed/cocaine on her son's gums up until the age of three.
Pinch the baby to wake it up
It's a good idea to dress your baby in extra-thick layers when MIL comes to visit as you know full well that if the bairn's asleep and you are out of the room there will be tears. This is because mothers-in-law love to pinch. They can't help it.
You pinch a baby to
wake it up. Yeah and you punch it to get it back to sleep....
If the baby cries, put it in another room
"We never had any trouble with screaming babies in our day."
No that's because the MIL mantra is to put a baby in the other room if it's crying. Simple. That's why when you arrive to collect your darling offspring it will ALWAYS have bright red cheeks and tear stains down its cheeks. But it will be quiet and that's the main thing (this is because it's lost its voice).
Weetabix is RIGHT
Just as soon as your baby opens its mouth, for some reason your mother-in-law will be desperate to start feeding it Weetabix. Despite your pleas that it's a bit salty and sugary, the reply will be "well her father had it every day until he was five and it never did him any harm".
"It never did him any harm" is a classic mother-in-law mantra. Being slapped on the legs all
round Asda probably never did me any harm but that doesn't make it right...
(The author would like to assert that her own mother-in-law is blooming great.)
How do you get on with your mother-in-law?
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