i guess we live in different time zone because IMHO the last thing my mother would want to do is come and bring confusion like this in a perfectly well balanced household and at such a difficult time.

@ MBJAY - the Mother did not bring any confusion into the household. She is Igbo, and always spoken Igbo to her son. It is the wife who has suddenly developed some kind of aversion to the language, insecurity about her relationship with the husband, or just simply suffering from Post Natal Depression. There is more to this than meets the eye.

On the issue of your Mom and your wife, i think it is rude to speak a language that your wife will not understand while she is around

its rude to speak a language that not everyone in the house speaks.

@Fhemmy & Agathamari - There is nothing rude in it. What if the Mother did not speak any English? Would it be rude for the OP to speak English with his wife?Igbo is THEIR language; spoken well before the wife ever came on the scene - and they are are not having hour long conversations in Igbo to the mutual exclusivity of the wife. The OP gave us examples of the short sentences btw him and his Mother,
My wife and her family speak Hausa sometimes, or even Edo around me - thats 2 languages. I dont care, and i don't mind. If I'm interested. i ask them what are they saying.

someone is bound to feel left out when they don't understand what is going on around them. Is it so far fetched?

@Spoilt - Feeling left out enough to destroy what is claimed to be an excellent relationship? I think that is more than "feeling left out". It is feeling selfish, unreasonable, and insecure, whilst expecting all around her to bend to her insecurities.

, now dis is not funny, take my own case for instance, am yoruba while my fiance is an Igbo guy, he speaks yoruba so well cos he was born here in Lag, infact, himself and d immediate younger sis communicate in yoruba all the time, but d dad does not speak yoruba that much, so he communicates with d dad in Igbo language, dat has NEVER bordered me for ones, cos i trust my man, instead, it borders d dad, he is always saying it that my man shld start teaching me.

If truly she loves d husband and she really wants d relationship, she shld not be bothered when mother and son ar discussing in dere language, instead, she shld start learning as fast as possible.

aisha2: Your wife needs to get her insecurities in check abeg. I hate it when young girls make their home a battle ground with their husbands mothers and come round to accuse the women of being witches. My sisters converese with me in Hausa even when hubby is around and he does not speak or understand Hausa ,why does he not get upset and make it a national Issue? if her mom were to speak to her in their languauge will it be a problem?
Some women can just be so annoying peharps you should cancel your african Magic subscription, it messes with their brain.

U jus wrote wats on my mind.