Dear Maggie,

Having been a nurse for twenty years, I really appreciated your column on the topic. It totally rocked!

That said, I have an issue I could use some advice on. My mother-in-law hates me. She has since my husband and I were first married, and though I tried to make inroads with her, it never worked. She finds fault with everything I do, the way I keep the house, the cooking, even the way I dress. After a while, I just stopped trying. The problem is, she’s reached a point in her health where she’s no longer able to live on her own. The obvious solution is to move her in with us. We have the room, and it would be a lot more practical than a nursing home or an assisted living community. It is the decision I want to make, but I don’t want to spend the immediate future feeling criticized, judged, and found wanting, in my own home. So how can I make this work?

Signed,

Distressed Daughter-in-law