I received a gift from my boyfriend's mother that is at best in poor taste and at worst extremely offensive. How do I proceed? Super-fun cultural/religious beanplating inside.
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posted by coppermoss
on Mar 28, 2013 -
99 answers
My husband (A)'s family (parents, brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew) are going on a trip in a couple of weeks. The trip has been planned for months, and he and I had decided long ago that it wasn't going to work for us this year. Yesterday, A. decided he wants to go. There are no hotel rooms available. We will have to stay on the pull out couch in his parent's room. I could use a reality check. Longer explanation inside.
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posted by mary, queen of socks
on Mar 11, 2013 -
52 answers
Out of the blue, the mom of my ex-boyfriend (whom I thought I was just starting to get over with) wants to reconnect, but without his knowledge (we haven't been keeping in touch since Christmas). She wants to have "a little chat" -- when I pressed for details, she said only to keep in touch whenever I find myself in town. As well-intentioned as she may be, I feel this is quite manipulative of her due to the context of our breakup and I'm not sure how to respond, if I should, and if I should go ahead and meet up with her (I'm half-scared of being ambushed and reprimanded -- because she wants his sister to tag along on this chat, too -- plus I feel I'll be complicit in the mother's going behind my ex's back, whatever the outcome).
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posted by anonymous
on Feb 19, 2013 -
81 answers
How do I best support my partner when he sets boundaries with his passive-aggressive family, particularly when the boundaries are about how they've been treating me? Wall of text, with bonus holiday drama, inside!
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posted by SeedStitch
on Dec 26, 2012 -
38 answers
My Mother-in-law is sending her children to my house as punishment and it makes me very uncomfortable and I need help figuring out how to get her to stop.
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posted by julie_of_the_jungle
on Aug 15, 2012 -
43 answers
So, my inlaws are visiting, I'm not sure how to iron the details out with my SO. We have very different ideas about how this should transpire. I am also having trouble dealing with the culture of their family I'm trying to be as short as possible. Thanks.
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posted by ibakecake
on Aug 6, 2012 -
41 answers
My brother-in-law may be back on drugs, or possibly beginning to show symptoms of mental illness. He's recently become verbally abusive to my mother-in-law. He's also been invited up for Christmas with the rest of the in-laws. Of course, things are complicated.
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posted by anonymous
on Dec 7, 2011 -
23 answers
My MIL is having an affair, is not being smart about it and I don't know how to be around her now.
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posted by anonymous
on Nov 15, 2011 -
33 answers
My in-laws are in town and are arguing about a weird family story/old news story. Help me get to the bottom of this!
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posted by coppermoss
on Oct 8, 2011 -
7 answers
Met the parents. They're crazy. Need to develop strategies to cope and set clear and unavoidable bondaries NOW before the cycle of stupid and exploitative behavior continues.
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posted by These Birds of a Feather
on Jul 6, 2011 -
45 answers
My wife doesn't get along with my sister. My sister is graduating. My wife discovers that I am buying her a graduation gift without her knowledge. She is upset I went behind her back. Where do I go from here?
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posted by anonymous
on May 19, 2011 -
71 answers
How can I be most helpful & supportive to my wife as her parents go through a trial separation?
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posted by anonymous
on Nov 8, 2010 -
7 answers
When you "win" an argument with your spouse, it's not really winning, or is it?
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posted by abdulf
on Sep 17, 2010 -
47 answers
How to improve relationship with disapproving future in-laws: My boyfriend and I have been together for a bit more than two years, and we’ve been living together for a year and a half. We are both in our mid- to late-twenties. Our relationship is strong, and really, it is not at issue. The problem comes in with his parents.
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posted by redfishbluefish
on Aug 20, 2010 -
25 answers
My husband's parents will visit us in the US in February and we need to plan a 5-7 day trip for the four of us. Their first idea was Vegas, but they prefer some place they don't know yet. Suggestions?
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posted by Opal
on Dec 25, 2009 -
10 answers
Are any of you in a situation where your parents and your significant other's parents have never met, and the situation will probably remain this way? Is it awkward, or accepted? I am hoping for any kind of advice on the logistics of this. I feel like it's common for in-laws to know each other, but I don't know this for sure.
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posted by anonymous
on Sep 8, 2009 -
28 answers
2 weeks out from my wedding, and future mother-in-law is creating drama about future father-in-law's partner, who is roundly despised by all involved.
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posted by anonymous
on Sep 5, 2009 -
66 answers
Infant son's getting baptized, and our sister-in-law feels she should be allowed to invite several friends of hers who're not of our faith and not acquainted with either us or the baby. I think she's out of line. O wise Hivemind, which of us is right?
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posted by anonymous
on Jun 17, 2009 -
65 answers
How should I handle this? (Father-in-law wants me to take him to Jewish bookstores in NYC without my wife, I have to work, I have never met him, and I know nothing about Judaism.)
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 21, 2009 -
33 answers
We know where we want to get married, but the bride to be's parents don't like our preferred location
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posted by orville sash
on Apr 17, 2009 -
51 answers
What can/should we do to help my father-in-law? He's mismanaged his money, he's unemployed and he's in danger of losing everything.
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posted by anonymous
on Jan 12, 2009 -
15 answers
With the holidays coming I find my inability to tolerate some family members and listen to the inane chatter that fills the room. I am often visually unhappy about the situation. How can I tolerate such gatherings in a way that at least makes it appear I'm not so unhappy? (Bonus points if I'm ACTUALLY not so unhappy).
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posted by arniec
on Dec 1, 2008 -
28 answers
D...d...dowryfilter? Maybe? I'm getting married to a Chinese woman, very soon, and her rather wealthy parents are asking (hinting, in this face-sensitive culture, so I think that's what it is, but it could mean something else?) where my divorced, broke parents' contribution to the marriage is, or, in lieu of theirs, mine. They've tossed a $140,000 duplex our way, a prime rental property, and a ton of financial support for their daughter. I have about $400 in the bank and an okay freelance career. Barring 10 years to save up and match that...what, exactly, can I do to prevent this from getting really, really, really awkward? A long, rambling explanation follows.
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posted by saysthis
on Sep 29, 2008 -
19 answers
[first time holiday dinner filter] It's my first holiday FEAST. And I must impress FUTURE INLAWS. Give me your tried-and-true "omfg where on EARTH did you get this recipe" holiday recipes - traditional is okay, but I'd prefer the off-kilter.
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posted by damnjezebel
on Nov 25, 2007 -
34 answers
My girlfriend's parents (future inlaws?) forward me a lot of those awful right-wing emails. The latest one is an anti-Islam rant (inside).
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posted by neuron
on Jul 24, 2006 -
73 answers
My future mother-in-law was laid off unexpectedly this week. She probably had a week's notice. Is there anything I can do?
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posted by saucy
on Nov 30, 2005 -
9 answers
My father-in-law, who recently became ill, moved in with us last weekend. My wife and I have two young boys. My father-in-law has guns. I don't like guns. I was perfectly happy not having any guns in my house. Now I'm worried. I know my father-in-law will rattle off fifty-two reasons backwards and forwards and upside down until we're all blue in face why it's important to have guns around. It won't matter - I'll still hate knowing there are guns in MY house. What should I do, grow up and get over it? Or can a compromise be reached? Any advice?
posted by michaelbrown
on Apr 28, 2005 -
54 answers
I am getting married this November. My SO and I have a great relationship with her parents and siblings, who live in the same town as we do (actually, she's living with her parents until our wedding). My family is 3,000 miles away from us. Now, I have a job offer that would require us to move about three hours away from her family. We can also stay where we are. Is it a good idea to be in close proximity to family as newlyweds? Is it more important to break away and start out on our own?
posted by willpie
on Jul 8, 2004 -
17 answers
