Your Approach

Psychologist Dr. Leena Bahrani says, "While communicating with your mother-in-law works best (and I am talking about communication before the wedding too) it is important to remember that talking to her may not always work. In this case you may have to resort to a few unusual ways to get around her."

Take a look at a few common problems that may occur after your wedding and a few novel ways that you can deal with it.

The Kitchen is Mine

While most mothers-in-law are ever willing to push you into the kitchen, there are some that want you in there but working according to their orders.

Rachna Siddhu, 28, homemaker, was shown the way to the kitchen a day after she came back from her honeymoon. She didn't mind doing the work but her mother-in-law insisted that things run her way and not Rachna's way.

What's worse? Even the hired help were instructed to follow the mother-in-law's way and told to check Rachna if she did as she wished in the kitchen.

"Things came to a real head when one of the maids told me that I was breaking the kitchen rules and that she would not help me," says Rachna.

The Ladle in Her Hand: "I just threw the dish of chicken that I was cooking and literally told all of them to shut up," she says.

She then called her mother-in-law in the kitchen and laid down the rules. She told them that if she was expected to do the chores in the kitchen, things would have to be done her way. Otherwise, she just invited her mother-in-law back in the kitchen and asked her to take over once again.

"The moment my mother-in-law realised that I meant business and was serious about not working in the kitchen, she told the help that things would go just that way that I worked," ends Rachna.