“Mama,” Marco continued, his voice calmer but full of determination, “you are trying to control everything. You are no longer allowing us to be parents to our own children.”
Mama Liza just stared, but I could see hurt and resentment in her eyes. I thought she would explode again—but she didn’t. She let go of Jaxel and slowly sat down on the sofa. She looked like she had suddenly run out of strength.
“I thought I was helping you,” she said softly. “I thought… you needed me.”
Her tears fell, and that’s when I was speechless. That wasn’t anger… it was fear. She was my mother-in-law, yes, but she was also a mother who was sad that she wasn’t needed as much as she used to be.
I sat beside her, even though my chest was still pounding.
“Mama… we do need you,” I said, “but not to replace us. We need you… to be their grandmother. The one who is just happy. The one who is there when we need you—not to dictate to us.”
She cried quietly. Her hand, which was holding my arm, barely moved.
“I’m sorry, Mae… I’m just afraid you’ll make mistakes. I don’t want my grandchildren to suffer.”
Marco walked over and held his mother’s shoulder.
“Ma, all parents make mistakes. But it’s even more dangerous when you don’t let us be parents.”
A silence followed—but it wasn’t the scary kind anymore. It was a restful silence. A thinking silence.
The next morning, I was surprised to see Mama Liza in the kitchen. She was making hot chocolate for Chantel—but she looked at me first.
“Mae,” she said with a smile and a little hesitation, “would you like to give this to Chantel? So… you can be the first to wake her up?”
I smiled, not because I had to, but because I wanted to.
“Yes, Mama. Thank you.”
And that day, it was the first time I saw her not dominating… but simply being a part of it.
The children became happier too. Chantel was no longer afraid when her grandmother approached. Jaxel kept hugging her. And Marco—he felt lighter. The family felt lighter.
When we went out for a walk that afternoon, I overheard Mama Liza tell Marco:
“Son… thank you. If you hadn’t said anything, I wouldn’t have understood. I don’t want your family to grow up being afraid of me.”
Marco kissed her forehead.
“We need you, Ma. But we also need to be parents.”
And then I felt it in my heart… sometimes, all a person needs to hear is that they are not being left behind—but that everyone simply has their own roles.
Since then, life has become easier. Happier. Truer. Not perfect, but enough to call it home.
And finally… we all found the true peace that we had worked so long for, together.
One family. One home. One love that learned to change for each other.