On mothers and mothers-in-law

Two articles drew my attention today. One was about a mother, and the other was about a mother-in-law.
"My mom had a favorite line: "You're not happy unless you're complaining." This, from a woman whose second vocation after cleaning was complaining. Often she'd complain about cleaning. Or complain how her sons never visited enough. Or complain about her neighbors. If happiness was derived from complaining, my mom was delirious. When she wasn't kvetch'n about us, she was on the phone wanting to know what we were complaining about. Five minutes into any conversation and Roz Lewis would cross all boundaries of privacy and decency and ask, "What's wrong?" "Nothing," I'd say. She'd say, "Bull——, I hear it in your voice. Tell me." She wouldn't stop until I came up with something to complain about. Anything. After spilling my guts and hoping to gain a morsel of compassion, she'd make some disapproving sound and say, "You know, you're not happy unless you're complaining." My mom was right."
To read full article, click on the link below.
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090823/COMM/908230325
The second article was about a mother-in-law who is suing her daughter-in-law.
...The mother-in-law is accusing Croonquist of spreading false, defamatory and racist lies with in-law jokes that have become a staple of her routine in nightclubs and on television channels like Comedy Central.
To Croonquist, the in-law jokes seemed like a natural routine after living through one comical culture-clash moment after another: She is half-black, half-Swedish, grew up Roman Catholic and married into a Jewish family.
And she's not shy about making the in-laws the butt of her jokes.
Take the one about her mother-in-law's reaction to news she was pregnant with her first child: "OK, now that we know you're having a little girl I want to know what you're naming that little tchotchke. Now we don't want a name that's difficult to pronounce like Shaniqua. We're thinking a name short but delicious. Like Hadassah or Goldie."
Or her first visit to her mother-in-law's house: "I walk in, I say, 'Thank you so much for having me here, Ruthie.' She says, 'The pleasure's all mine, have a seat.'" Then, in a loud aside, 'Harriet, put my pocketbook away.'"
To read full article, click here.

One of the comments I saw posted regarding this article was a joke to the effect that "I bought a special chair for my mother-in-law but my spouse wouldn't let me plug it in."

I recall once hearing that the Mashiach will be a descendant of Ruth because, if she and her mother-in-law could live in peace, then she is worthy of being the ancestor of the person who will ultimately bring peace to the world.

May we all live beshalom - in peace - and stop complaining.