In-laws are supposed to make life easier, right? Well, not in my case. This is the story of how I got back at Linda, who thought she could treat my eldest daughter, Tessa, badly and get away with it.
I have two daughters. Tessa, who is 10, is from my first marriage. She’s sweet, quiet, and always tries to make everyone happy. My younger daughter, Sadie, is 4, from my marriage to Grant, my current husband. Sadie is the opposite—full of energy and always asking questions. Grant loves both girls, but his mother, Linda, feels differently, especially toward Tessa.
Linda is the type of person who wants everything to appear perfect on the outside. But underneath, she’s judgmental and cold, particularly when it comes to Tessa. The reason? Tessa isn’t Grant’s biological daughter.
For years, I tried to keep the peace. Grant would say, “She’s just old-fashioned,” but it was clear Linda’s behavior wasn’t fair to Tessa.
“She’ll come around,” Grant would say. But Linda never did. Instead, she made small, hurtful comments toward Tessa.
Tessa, bless her, never complained. She stayed quiet, probably thinking it was her fault. But I noticed everything. I heard the comments, and each time, it made me angry.
Grant? He didn’t see it the same way. He loved his mom and thought she was just being her usual, quirky self.
I always thought in-laws were supposed to make life easier. But not in my case. This is the story of how I got revenge on Linda, my mother-in-law, who treated my eldest daughter, Tessa, like she didn’t matter.
I have two daughters. Tessa, 10, is from my first marriage. She’s sweet, quiet, and always tries to make people happy. Sadie, 4, is from my marriage to Grant, and she’s full of energy. Grant loves both girls, but his mother, Linda, acts differently, especially toward Tessa.
Linda often made rude comments about Tessa. Sometimes, she’d say things like, “Oh, Tessa, that dress is a bit too grown-up for you, don’t you think?” She would forget Tessa’s birthday but spoil Sadie with gifts.
Things got worse after my own mother passed away. I was crushed by grief, barely able to function. We had to travel out of state for the funeral, and Linda offered to watch the girls. I didn’t want to leave Tessa with her, knowing how uncomfortable she’d be, but I had no other choice.
Three days later, we returned home, and the house was eerily quiet. Linda left a note saying she had taken Sadie to the park, but I couldn’t find Tessa. My heart raced as I searched the house. Then, I saw a light coming from the basement. I went downstairs and found Tessa, curled up on the cold floor, sleeping under a blanket, with dried tears on her face.
“Tessa, why are you down here?” I asked, heartbroken. She told me Linda had made her sleep there, saying Sadie was her “real” granddaughter and they needed “special time” together.
I was furious but knew confronting Linda wouldn’t change things. Instead, I decided to get even. Linda’s family reunion was coming up, and it was her pride and joy. I offered to help her organize it, pretending everything was fine. But behind the scenes, I was telling the family how Tessa was treated, especially during the funeral.
At the reunion, I put together a slideshow of family photos. But in the middle of all the happy pictures, I included a clip of Tessa sleeping on the basement floor. The mood shifted immediately. People were shocked, whispering, “Why would she be down there?”
Linda’s perfect image crumbled as the family questioned her. She tried to explain, but it was too late—everyone saw her for who she truly was. I didn’t need to say anything; the photos said it all.
Since that day, Linda hasn’t spoken to me, and honestly, that’s just fine with me. I’ll always protect my daughter, no matter what.
He is a legendary musician, and we have all sung his songs, but he is currently ill and in suffering.
The renowned Genesis lead singer and drummer Phil Collins has enjoyed enormous success in the music business over his illustrious career.
Joining Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney as the only performers with over 100 million records sold through both solo and collaborative projects, he is one of three. Collins was exposed to music at a young age. He was born on January 30, 1951, in London, England, to parents who were artists.
The move that would define his sound came when he was five years old and received a homemade drum kit from his uncle. It included tambourines, triangles, cymbals, and miniature drums.
Key bands like The Shadows led the way as the English beat genre started to take shape. In addition to leading this movement, Collins would frequently perform at get-togethers thrown by his parents’ sailing club.
Collins was first exposed to rock and roll at the age of fourteen, when The Beatles motivated him to buy a record player and Please Please Me. He would put his drums in front of a mirror and turn up the record player’s volume so he wouldn’t have to look at what he was doing.
To learn how to read drum music, which was necessary if one wished to work in an orchestra pit or dance band, he decided to take drum lessons from a teacher. But Collins soon discovered that reading sheet music was not nearly as good as playing spontaneously.
In the 1970s, Collin’s life took an unexpected turn after he came upon an advertisement for Genesis’ drummer. Collins got in touch with them, and they were happy to have him on board, which launched his incredible musical career.
Many of the songs from The Beatles’ five albums went on to become timeless classics that we still love to this day. Due to a dearth of worthy contenders, Collins assumed the role of lead vocalist for the band quite quickly.
He took a while to get used to being a drummer as well as a voice, but he persisted and became one of the greatest musicians of our time.
As a solo artist and a member of the legendary band Genesis, Collins enjoyed enormous success in the music industry. Hits like “I Don’t Care Anymore,” “In The Air Tonight,” and “You Can’t Hurry Love” propelled him to the top of the music business.
After 25 years with Genesis, Collins made the decision to change directions in his career, concentrating on jazz ventures, movie soundtracks, and his solo endeavors. He said he hoped his old comrades would have a successful career, but when 2017 came around, he decided to go back on the road with them for their Last Domino tour.
Sadly, the pandemic forced a postponement of this tour, and shortly before it started, Phil spoke with BBC Breakfast, raising some concerns regarding his health. With Phil on vocals and Nicholas Collins on drums, the band plans to play live again despite this setback.
Nic is a fantastic drummer, but according to Tony Banks, he could add even more intensity to the already strong early Phil Collins tunes.
Speaking on his retirement from drumming, Phil remarked, “I’d like to, but I can scarcely grip a stick with this hand.” Despite the challenges that come with being physically limited, Phil has not allowed them to deter him from pursuing his love of music.
The storyteller, a man our age, spoke with a palpable sense of loss as he outlined his physical struggles. He bemoaned not being able to travel with his kid and hear about his travels.
He wasn’t sure if he wanted to carry on traveling because of his health. His remarks gave off a dejected vibe, as though he had accepted that he could no longer engage in some activities and that they were off-limits to him.
He felt pressured and faced with a difficult decision: stick on his current course or stop his travels. It dawned on him that either way, a physical constraint or a deliberate choice would force him to give up something he valued. He was troubled by this and felt as though he might miss out on a lot of opportunities in life as a result of this sudden change in his circumstances.
Leave a Reply