Yesterday I asked my MIL about her mother. She (my GMIL) was born in 1920 in Northern Thailand. She had her first child when she was "about" 19. She had 11 children. 1 died when she was "2 or 3". My MIL came home from school and she was gone. 1/
Her mother was uneducated. She knew some numbers and could sign her name. I asked if she wanted an education and my MIL said "No, the girls weren't supposed to go to school. They were supposed to have the kids." 2/
My MIL became a nurse. I asked her once if she had wanted to be a doctor- she had. But nursing school was more affordable for her family of 10 kids. I asked her yesterday if her mother supported her coming to the US. She looked me in the eye and shook her head. "No." 3/
(I asked her if my FIL supported her coming to the US. She laughed and said "No." She left him and came anyway! He followed her about six months later. These are the genes I'm up against in my strong headed girls, and I love it.) 4/
I asked her some more questions about her mother. My husband knew my grandmother- she only died last month. But his grandmother is a woman I never met, and I imagine on Mother's Day, my MIL misses her. She doesn't talk about it at all. But she must. 5/
We talked too about my girls' lives, how different they are than my MIL's life or her mother's life. The opportunities they have now, here. Their lives are built on the sacrifices and choices of their elders. I hope they know their stories. I hope we teach them gratitude. 6/6
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