Who knew your monster-in-law could actually serve a positive purpose in life aside from birthing your spouse?
Ahem…
How well do you get along with your mother-in-law?
The answer could have a major impact on your children’s lives.
According to a new study, married couples, who live with or nearby their mother-in-law, are more likely to have healthier babies than those who don’t. In addition, researchers say children born to said couples are also less likely to die in infancy. Finally, the study also found that when grandma is a driving force in a family, mom and dad tend to produce more babies and have smaller gaps in time between each child.
Bottom line: Don’t underestimate the power of grandma.
That conclusion comes courtesy of Sheffield University, which conducted the study, and recently presented the results at the Euroscience 2012 conference in Dublin. The study’s author, Dr. Virpi Lummaa, says he and his colleagues analyzed more than 300 years of church records which tracked the births, marriages and deaths in farming communities in Finland.
When all was said in done, researchers concluded that married couples and their offspring benefitted by having grandma present in their lives. At the Euroscience 2012 conference, Dr. Lummaa revealed that it is not unusual for families to prosper when an extra person is willing to help with the daily upbringing of a child. After all, children, especially babies, thrive when they are given love and attention.
Dr. Lummaa says during his research he did not find a difference between maternal and paternal mother-in-laws. However, previous studies on African families found that a mother’s mother provides the greatest benefits to married couples and their offspring.
In regards to grandfathers, researchers concluded that they may have less of an impact because of their advanced age and their ability to provide less help in raising their grandchildren.
How does your mother-in-law impact the way you raise your children?