National Mother-in-Law Day – October 25, 2026

History of National Mother-in-Law Day

In-laws have, of course, been around as long as marriage has. Until recently, the status of one’s parents and family played an even more important role in marriage arrangements than the relationship between the bride and groom. Society expected that in-laws would have heavy involvement in the lives of their adult children.

By the 1920s, American attitudes toward the in-law relationship shifted. Young people were encouraged to break with their parents and forge their own path as a couple. The stereotype of the “meddling mother-in-law” was born. Since then, research shows that women, in particular, have strained relationships with their mothers-in-law, with 60% of married American women experiencing stress related to their mothers-in-law.

In most countries, in-laws have legal obligations to each other because of their relationship through marriage. Also known as affinity in law and anthropology, the relationship formed by the marriage of family members has been historically fraught, spawning an entire genre of “mother-in-law jokes” and infamous literary and film characters. Bringing two families together, whether in highly intimate or more loosely connected situations, creates feelings of uncertainty and insecurity. After all, these new, secondary relationships affect our primary relationship with an important person in our life. 

National Mother-in-Law Day was first observed in March 1934 in Amarillo, Texas, where a local newspaper editor named Gene Howe was inspired by Mother’s Day to create the holiday to acknowledge the special relationship between married adults and their mothers-in-law. Although the term technically just applies to people legally bound through marriage, it’s a great day to appreciate your partner’s mom whether or not you’re married.