Mary Kay's New Mother-In-Law
She was conflicted in a way, Soona Vili tells The Early Show co-anchor Rene Syler, about her son's wedding to Mary Kay Letourneau.
"I guess part of me was, and part of me was relieved," she says with her attorney Nicole Blake-Chafetz by her side. "That one part of our lives has come to a close, and there is a new chapter in our lives that we're a family that's on the road to healing."
Even though she believes her son and wife are in love and happy, she had wished Vili Fualaau's fate would be different.
"I think all mothers would like to choose the course for all of their children," she says. "But it doesn't necessarily mean that it will be the right course. If I were to choose the course and it didn't turn out the way that it was supposed to turn out, then he will turn around, in fact, and blame me. This is the course that my son had chosen for himself, so he's living it out."
As for her relationship with Letourneau, Vili says they are both working on that. One of the things that has been difficult is that her daughter-in-law is only three years younger than she is.
"I look at her as my equal as far as age," Vili says, but notes, "She is the mother of my granddaughters, and I know we'll get past this."
The couple's children, Audrey, 7, and Alexis, 6, have been raised by Vili, who has custody of the girls. Next for her is dealing with the courts should her son and new daughter-in-law decide to fight for custody.
Blake-Chafetz, Vili's attorney, says presently everybody is following court orders.
"The courts have set out a certain course of conduct, and everybody is following that," Blake-Chafetz explains. "And the court's conduct is that she is custodial. In our state then, it would take action, a motion, something from their side to change that and convince the courts, not convince grandma, convince the courts that something else could happen."
Friday's closely-guarded wedding ceremony took place at a winery 20 miles northeast of Seattle. Vili says it was very extravagant.
"I guess everyone in attendance was in awe," she says, "It was a fantasy."
Some 200 guests attended. One of Letourneau's daughters from a previous marriage, Mary Claire, was her maid of honor. And Audrey and Alexis were flower girls. It was the first time the girls met their half sister.