Mending Grandmother, Daughter-in-Law Relationships

Dec. 24, 2009— -- Anthropologist Margaret Mead wrote that "of all the peoples whom I have studied, from city dwellers to cliff dwellers, I always find that at least 50 percent would prefer to have at least one jungle between themselves and their mothers-in-law."

Those words might ring especially true during the holiday season, which can be fraught with tension. And in some cases, conflicts between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law can tear families apart.

In her Texas home, Barbara has a room full of toys meant for her 3-year-old granddaughter who, according to grandma, may never get the chance to play with them again.

Barbara said that what was once a close and loving relationship with her son changed dramatically when her daughter-in-law entered the picture, and then went from bad to worse after her granddaughter was born.

Her daughter-in-law would complain to her son about the way she cared for her granddaughter during their visits, Barbara said. Eventually, the tension escalated to a level where, Barbara and her husband Doug say, they have no contact with their son's family, although they live 10 minutes apart.

"She's the mother," Barbara said. "And she doesn't want her children here. She doesn't want her children seeing me. So, that's it. And he walked out the door."

She says she never thought it would come to this and desperately wants her family back in her life.

"I've shut down, I've cried," Barbara said. "I've thought about leaving because, basically, I felt if I was out of the picture, that my husband could have a relationship with his son again. ... I don't know how to be a half a mother, you know?"

The conflict has caused so much strife that Barbara asked "Good Morning America" not to use her last name, and her son and his wife requested complete anonymity.

Another grandmother, Barbara Graham, chronicled such pleasures and perils of being a grandmother in her book "Eye of My Heart." She says "mother-in-law/daughter relationships are the most radioactive."

She believes many times it is the mother-in-law that oversteps the bounds, especially when it comes to the grandchildren.

"Daughters-in-law feel like they have to bite their tongue when it comes to their mothers-in-law," Graham said. "By respecting the parenting style of the parents, you will go a long way."

CLICK HERE to read an excerpt from 'Eye of My Heart.'

CLICK HERE for advice from Grandparents.com's Mother-in-Law Stories page.