It starts with wearing a bridal dress and entering an unknown world, because whether it is a union of the hearts or a marriage of convenience, it is nevertheless the beginning of a new phase, which entails sacrifice and challenges for a girl.

While changing the life of the bride it also changes the life of her mother in law, as in most cases sons are closer to the mother than to the father and she is used to his undivided attention, being the most important lady in his life. Ironically the most enthusiastic person in the son’s marriage is the mother, however the enthusiasm often wears off after the wedding, as the bride can be seen as a challenging contestant for the son’s affections.

On the other hand the bride feels that since she is a new comer in the family she deserves all the attention and care, preferably with no rivals. The promises made during the courtship are remembered and it is at times challenging for the husband to live up to them.

Expecting these two major recipients of the man’s affection to experience no sense of rivalry is wishful thinking and it is also not surprising for two females to experience conflict, while jointly running a household. In case of conflict both the mother and spouse expect the man’s support and the amicable settlement of matters depends on his fairness, tact and problem solving ability. He needs to bear in mind that conflict resolution is ultimately his responsibility and shelving it would create unsurmountable issues in the long run.

Depending upon his strength of character and perseverance, there is also a chance of his patience wearing off and his efforts for rectifying the situation coming to an abrupt end. However the bad news for men is that this is an ongoing battle and it is one play which has no final act. Expecting this problem to go away on its own is wishful thinking and adopting an escapist attitude would further aggravate the situation. Both the ladies need to be counseled and made to realize that while both are very important, yet none would be allowed to supersede the other.

While there is no permanent solution to this issue which is as old as Methuselah, the situation can only improve at some point, when both ladies are eventually convinced that they have to pull their weight, for co–existing and harmony between them is the only way for ensuring that peace prevails in the house. This issue gains disastrous proportions only if it is not tackled from the initial stage and is allowed to brew like a broth, waiting to spill over.