While the festive season usually signals a time for relaxation, there are makotis who dread this time of year.
This is the time when wives visit their in-laws and depending on the type of family you married into; this could be a time you associate with love, laughter and quality time with family or early mornings, hard work and anxiety.
Chuene, 31, who won Mrs Congeniality in the Mrs Polokwane pageant in 2019, is not only a proud mother of two but an MBA graduate and adviser to Eskom. She is a part of the Wisk Wives leadership under Shirley K Ministries and advises married women using this platform.
The young mother said her first time staying with her in-laws was around the festive season and she is now a pro at advising new wives. "I think you need to understand your role as a wife and you need to make your mother-in-law your best friend,” she said.
Chuene said as a modern woman you may want to change how things are done but you need to be respectful in how you navigate that.
“You must not overwork yourself, make sure that you rest. Help the other women but do not try to be the perfect wife. When they sit down you must also sit down. Most of us have jobs and when January comes you don't want to be too tired to go back to work,” she said.
Chuene is a firm believer in making sure women see it as a new experience that they can learn and grow from.
“My husband's family is very traditional and I asked my mother-in-law to teach me how to do certain things like cook on an open fire,” she said.
In the future Chuene would like to be a mother-in-law who includes new makotis into decision-making in the family.
“From my experience of being a makoti I would make sure that my daughter-in-law is included in my family completely. I feel our opinions are relevant, when there are family meetings we must be included. A makoti must be a part of the decisions made in the house,” she said.
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