“I just want privacy” – This is a typical line we all have screamed or told our parents in a heated argument. of course that one simple line either got our phones taken away or the doors off the hinges—– Now imagine your phone or the door is your husband and the parents are your in-laws. In any desi or South Asian household, joint family to be exact, there is no such thing and never will be this “privacy” thing. 

In- laws will always want to know what is going on with their son’s in-laws, want to know every fight between their son and his wife. The real truth behind this is that living in a joint family can be difficult, there will be disagreements, shadow arguments, silent treatments and so on. 

At the end of a typical desi household, the daughter-in-law gets the blame, so how much will the husband protect his bad side of marriage from his parents instead of exposing every word and every argument to his family? This question can be asked in many ways, but what is the use when the outsider is the problem. 

Boundaries

Where the line shall never be crossed in any kind of form. This is also something a lot of south asians disrespect without even realizing it, only because it wasn’t taught or practiced in a lot of households despite living in a joint family system. So God forbid a girl wants privacy from her in-laws because she had a perfect life before marriage. 

To my wonderful desi parents out there, if you are bringing a daughter-in-law or have a daughter-in-law, with pure happiness and respect, if your son and wife want to move out or want to live alone, please let them and learn to accept their life choices and style. 

Privacy is a right and it belongs to everyone. So please learn and respect someone else’s daughter’s privacy just as much as you would like it for your own daughter.