How to be a Good Mother-in-Law

Everyone knows a joke about mothers-in-law, but what are the golden rules you need to become a popular one?

The authors of this pioneering guide, first published in the 1930s, aimed to dramatically improve relationships for all the family with sound advice which is as relevant today as it was in the early twentieth century: ‘If your opinion is not sought, don’t volunteer it.’

Practical tips are given on a range of issues, such as how to visit a married daughter, how best to interact with grandchildren, how not to pass comment at the dinner table and what degree of independence should be granted to married sons. The guide even contemplates living with the married couple and offers advice on how to negotiate this situation, as well as giving examples of how not to behave on your son or daughter’s wedding day.

Packed with amusing scenarios of provocative behaviour as well as pithy advice, and illustrated with contemporary line drawings, this charming guide will win over both novices and veterans in this much maligned role.