Dear Queenie,
I have relatives who own a shop that sells lovely expensive clothes and every year for my birthday and Christmas they give me lovely things to wear. My problem is that my husband’s mother wears the same size clothes as me and she keeps wanting to borrow things from me, sometimes before I even have a chance to wear them myself.
Queenie, it’s not as if she can’t afford to buy such things for herself. How do I get her to stop asking for mine without causing a big falling-out in the family?—Stylish daughter-in-law
Dear Daughter-in-law,
It is okay to refuse to lend your mother-in-law your clothes. Just tell her, sorry, you are planning to wear whatever-it-is yourself.
If your relatives’ shop is near where you live, you might offer to take your mother-in-law shopping there so she can pick out some nice things of her own and not have to borrow yours.
And, when you have an occasion to give your mother-in-law a gift, give her a piece of clothing like one she has borrowed from you – from your relatives’ shop if you can afford it. Perhaps your relatives would even give you a discount if you explain the situation to them.
