When your partner is jealous of your child, one thing is clear: your child should always come first. Anyone who can't accept that shouldn't be in your life. Your children are your responsibility and will be until they grow up. Even then, anyone who doesn't understand how important your children are in your life doesn't deserve your time. 42. Then my mother was so upset that she was losing my father, and I caught myself thinking, Why should she complain, she had 58 years with him! Of course I didn't say it. And of course I was unhappy that my dad was ill, and I mourned him when he died, and I know it is very hard for my mother to deal with the loss after all those years. The simple truth is that common sense vanishes when a wife comes up against her husband's mother. It's as though battling with your mother-in-law is an inevitable part of marriage. It may. Do you have any advice on how to deal with a relationally jealous and possessive mother? Though I'm a grown woman with young children of my own, my mom is still trying to control my life. I'd love to have a close, healthy relationship with her, but she demands more. In fact, she insists that we need to be "best friends." She even turns ugly and nasty if I try to nurture relationships with my.