My mother-in-law moved in with us and helps with childcare and household chores. It's the best decision we've ever made.

"Am I the most amazing mom on planet Earth?Far from it. But I may be the luckiest - because my mother-in-law lives with me. Yesterday, I ate three healthy meals, came to work fully prepared, went to the gym, read a chapter aloud to my daughters before bed, and fell asleep before 10 p.m., knowing the pets were fed, the plants were watered, the laundry was put away, and the dishwasher was loaded."

"Seven years ago, my husband, our two then-toddlers, and I packed up and moved over 1,000 miles away for a job I couldn't turn down. Leaving our hometown meant saying goodbye to every grandparent our kids had, our cousins, and our childhood friends. In our new city, we had no family to speak of and only a few acquaintances from my college years. Babysitters were hard to come by (and afford), and grocery shopping became a tag-team sport."

"For months, my husband and I were roommates at best, two adult ships just passing by one another at worst. I worked long hours while he carried most of the parenting load. The house was never fully clean. Some days I wore a bathing suit bottom instead of underwear because the laundry wasn't done. Date nights didn't exist. But for one month each year, when my mother-in-law came to visit, we remembered who we were."

A family relocated over 1,000 miles for a job and left behind grandparents, cousins, and childhood friends, arriving with virtually no local family. Babysitters were scarce and household tasks became overwhelming, leaving the parents exhausted and disconnected. Annual visits from the husband's mother provided childcare, household help, and opportunities for the couple to reconnect. Eventually the mother-in-law moved in full-time, enabling consistent help with chores, homework, activities, and childcare. Daily routines improved: meals were prepared, laundry done, and household order restored. Shared living increased the parents' time together and produced greater happiness and stability for the household.

Read at Business Insider