Dear Future Mother in Law,

You are so incredible, and you deserve to be appreciated.

I have a list of twelve things you should know:

  1. I am so excited to marry your son! He is absolutely incredible.
  2. Once we are married, we are one. And I believe that makes me your daughter and you my mom. (Whatever to all that “in law” stuff.)
  3. Yes, thank you for raising the man I love so dearly, for trusting me to be good for him, and for teaching him honesty. Did I mention he is incredible? And it’s not by accident.
  4. I’m sorta upset that you are such a great cook. He now wants me to feed him home cooked meals, but you have set the bar so very high. (But, I am not upset enough not to come to your house for dinner.:) )
  5. Thank you for teaching him how to show love. He had to learn it from you and Bob. I am so very loved by him. He shows me in the way he takes care of me, the way he opens the doors for me, carries my luggage, plays with my hair, supports me in all my projects, watches my favorite TV shows, listens to me talk for hours, and dreams with me. (Obviously there is too much to list.)
  6. Thanks for believing in what we have.  You notice how much we want to be together and don’t act as if getting married is such a far fetched idea.
  7. Thank you for allowing me to be in you family before we even say, “I do”. Being asked to be in family photos makes me feel so included and loved. It’s like saying “We want to include you in all our memories no matter how it all turns out”. Thank you for taking me on your family vacations, for the “I love and miss you” texts, and for all the times you ask for my opinion and help in the kitchen.
  8. Sorry for the times I have talked your ears off or eaten all your groceries. You are the first family that I have loved as much as my own. I am new to this.
  9. Our kids are going to be so blessed to have you as their grandmother. I know you are going to do a terrific job and ROCK at the grandma status. (We ask that you maybe just don’t mention grandchildren for a few years though.)
  10. Thank you for sharing all you have. To name a few: Your son, home, ideas, stories, time, and the rest of your family. (Especially all the pre-school supplies, recipes, traditions, and Pinterest pins. How cannot I not thank you for introducing me to Chicken Delada?)
  11. Thank you for letting me invade your home.(Remember those first few times I came to visit, and I think Bob had to sleep in the recliner and I took Hannah’s bed? Sorry for the invasion. Also that time I helped you move out and probably saw more of your house than you cared for me to see. Don’t worry, we all have those storage rooms and junk drawers.)
  12. This one is a freebie: Could there be any greater MIL(love)?