Visiting your partner’s parents can sometimes be tricky. But Tatiana Marchyshyna, the wife of Taiwan-based Malaysian actor-host Hero Tai, 40, has no interest in pretending to be someone she’s not.
Appearing on a recent variety show, the 27-year-old Ukrainian model said couples should communicate openly and directly with each other.
“Sometimes, wives get upset but still say, ‘It’s okay,’ when it actually isn’t. Hero and I have a family meeting every week, where he can tell me if something bothers him, and I can do the same,” she said.
Tatiana also explained her reasoning behind choosing Malaysian passports for their two-year-old daughter, Karina, and 11-month-old son, Kiril.
“I told Hero: ‘If you leave me and the kids stay with you, I’ll be free because they don’t have Ukrainian passports,’” she said.
While the other guests felt she is little too harsh, Tatiana revealed that her attitude was shaped by her childhood experiences.
“My parents divorced when I was three. My father has completely ignored me ever since. He went off to enjoy his own life, while my mother struggled to raise the children on her own.”
Tatiana doesn’t hold back around Hero’s family either.
“We usually go to Malaysia to celebrate Chinese New Year. During the festivities, the women have to prepare everything, which is exhausting, while the men just drink and gamble,” she recalled.
When Tatiana arrived, however, she immediately joined the men for a drink, leaving her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law shocked.
“They asked me: ‘Would you like to come and help out?’ I replied: ‘I’m not a foreign domestic worker. Why should I help out?’” she said.
Her response also stunned Hero’s father, who eventually voiced his concerns to his son.
“Can’t your wife at least pretend to help?” he asked.
Hero’s response? “Sorry, it’s a cultural difference.”