“LOOK AT YOU! I’M ASHAMED THAT YOU’RE MY WIFE!” my husband said when he saw me holding our baby, my hair a mess. Five minutes later, my mother-in-law arrived. My husband laughed and said, “Mom, teach her a lesson!” But what my mother-in-law did next made my husband BEG his own mother to stop…

Nobody had asked how I was doing.

Margaret was the first.

Mike stepped toward me.

“Emily, I’m sorry.”

But his mother raised her hand.

“I’m not finished, Michael.”

She pointed toward the shopping bags.

“How many times have you eaten today?”

“Twice,” he answered.

“How many hours did you sleep?”

“About eight.”

“And how many times did you ask whether your wife had eaten anything?”

Mike said nothing.

Margaret picked up the diaper bag.

“Your wife carries everything this baby might need. Clothes, diapers, bottles, wipes. She thinks about everyone before herself.”

She set it down.

“And you come home complaining that she isn’t attractive enough for you?”

Mike lowered his head.

Then Margaret said something that surprised both of us.

“For the next seven days, you’re going to take responsibility for the evening meals, laundry, and bedtime routine. Emily deserves some rest.”

“Mom, I have work!”