Archive · 19 Aug 2026
Modern Marriage: Separation, Reconciliation and Acceptance of a Mother-in-Law
Riya and Preet loved each other but had very different family backgrounds.
Preet was extremely close to his mother and wanted to live with her after marriage.
Riya felt his mother did not welcome her and later found family rules difficult to follow.
These disagreements caused many arguments between Riya and Preet.
Preet eventually moved to Vietnam and stopped speaking to her for a while.
Riya traveled there to decide whether they should stay together.
Seeing each other helped them remember how much they loved one another, so they reconciled.
They agreed to solve problems as a team and make important decisions together.
Riya also worked to accept and make peace with her mother-in-law, while the family adopted shared dinners as a way to end the day positively.
Riya says Preet insisted before marriage that they live with his mother, whom he deeply admired.
After their 2017 marriage, disagreements over family rituals, food and household expectations created repeated conflicts.
Preet moved to Vietnam without informing Riya and stopped communicating, prompting her to return to her parents’ home.
Riya traveled to Vietnam before their first anniversary, where the couple reconciled and later took a honeymoon in Turkey.
The couple says teamwork, mutual decisions, forgiveness and shared family dinners have helped sustain their marriage for nine years.
- Who
- Riya and Preet, a married couple, along with Preet’s parents.
- What
- The couple faced conflicts over Preet’s mother and family expectations, separated briefly, reconciled, and later improved their relationship.
- When
- They married in 2017; the separation occurred before their first anniversary, and the article describes them as married for nine years.
- Where
- The relationship began in college in India; Preet moved to Vietnam, where Riya met him, and they later honeymooned in Turkey.
- Why
- Differences in upbringing, household customs, food, family loyalty and communication created tension between Riya, Preet and his mother.
Riya’s Initial Perspective
Preet’s Family Perspective
Household customs
Riya’s Initial Perspective
Riya felt that expectations about waking early, dressing traditionally, participating in rituals and eating only in certain places were intrusive and disrespectful.
Preet’s Family Perspective
Preet’s mother viewed these practices as important family traditions, including shared meals and participation in special occasions.
Loyalty and conflict
Riya’s Initial Perspective
Riya believed Preet defended his mother without understanding how her actions affected their marriage.
Preet’s Family Perspective
Preet was deeply devoted to his mother and initially believed Riya was unhappy with him and his family.
Repairing the relationship
Riya’s Initial Perspective
Riya initially wanted to focus only on her relationship with Preet and considered divorce during their separation.
Preet’s Family Perspective
Preet’s father encouraged reconciliation, while Preet and his mother eventually accepted that Riya was his chosen life partner and that the family needed to make the relationship work.
- Marriage year
- 2017
- Relationship challenge
- Conflicts over living with and adapting to Preet’s mother
- Separation
- Preet moved to Vietnam, stopped responding to Riya and changed his phone number
- Reconciliation
- Riya traveled to Vietnam before their first anniversary
- Honeymoon
- The couple went to Turkey after reconciling
- Children
- They do not have children and do not plan to have them
- Family ritual
- The family tries to resolve disagreements before dinner and keeps dinner-table conversation positive