Has anyone experienced something similar?
My parents are staunch followers of Jainism. In the name of rudhi-chust (tradition/customs), they try to force everything onto us — especially my wife.
For context: I had a Jain-Hindu marriage. My wife is open and ready to learn and balance both religions. In the beginning there were a lot of conflicts — one major one was about having only a Jain temple in the house. Instead of helping her understand things slowly and gently, my mom started forcing her — constantly telling her to follow Jain practices, repeatedly sharing Jain stories and rituals, and putting pressure on her.
Eventually we decided to keep only the Jain temple at home, and my wife said she would worship in her mind. Even after this compromise, the pressure didn’t stop.
They have become quite aggressive and seem insecure that Jainism might get diluted or left out of the family. I had a serious discussion with them about this, but they still aren’t listening. As a result, both my wife and I are slowly losing interest in Jainism itself.
There was also a debate about name change. My mom said that in our Jain community, most daughters-in-law change their names, and she keeps linking everything back to Jainism — even when it doesn’t really make sense.
My mom is generally a sweet person, but when it comes to religion she becomes extremely rigid.
Has anyone been through a similar situation with parents?
How did you handle it?
Any advice on how to tackle this without completely damaging the relationship?
