My husband did not give me any supper when I was busy nursing our baby boy.

It was a turning point in life when my son came into this world five weeks after I made the transition to motherhood. Nevertheless, my dearest mother-in-law brought guests to our house amidst the chaos; making it hard for us to enjoy some time together as a family or even eat without pressure. I found it hard to deal with essential things like eating while tending to the baby. One day, after hours of breastfeeding and putting him down to sleep, I realized there was nothing in the fridge for me, not even one meal. This seemingly minor detail led us into a heated argument that revealed serious cracks in our family fabric.

I started feeling like an alienated person and ran away to my mother’s place only to be met with accusations from my partner accusing me of being the one at fault. In search for help from anyone from whom I could get solace from, it was only then when I reached out to my father-in-law who saw how serious this matter was and intervened there and then. He ordered his son to shoulder more burdens and told his wife she had outstayed her welcome.

This swift action transformed our home into a warm place that offered solace and care. The significance of such family or domestic advocacy comes out clearly in this experience; alongside revealing how much one can accomplish through empathy and promptness at times.