Am I the only one that enjoys my inlaws?

[LaxMom]

My father-in-law passed away quite a few years ago, but my mother-in-law is wonderful. She lives in Europe, so I don't see her often, although she comes to visit once a year or so and stays for a few weeks, visiting friends in Montreal and the US while she's here. She raised 6 children in Beirut on her husbands small salary, was forced to leave school after 6th grade by an uncle who didn't believe in educating women. She is devout, hard-working, and a prayer-warrior.

 

I posted a list of things I have learned from her in my blog a couple of weeks ago, and she called me to thank me (after she had my brother-in-law translate it for her.) She was very choked up. This is a family who is very close, and who all love each other dearly, but perhaps don't SAY it often enough.

 

Here's my post.

Well, now I'm a bit choked up myself. Many things we can all learn from her. And what a beautiful, lovely woman. Thanks for sharing that.

[myfatherslily]

Haven't read this whole thread... but I love my in-laws! I live right next door to them by choice:)

[MistyJ]

MIL Example of Poor Behavior:

 

MIL does not approve of BIL's fiancee. MIL has been co-conspiring with her friend to set up BIL with this friend's daughter. Family wedding this weekend. BIL's fiancee was seated next to this friend, (seating chart!) who proceeded to tell her what a good match she felt her daughter would be for BIL.

 

The fiancee was quite distraught. I was not able to attend the wedding because of our financial circumstances. MIL and FIL did send plane tickets for our family of 4: 3 plane tickets. :001_huh: That's a clear message, don't you think?

 

I am getting to the point, almost, of just loving who they are and not who I want them to be. It's still painful, sometimes.

[Impish]

I too, am curious as to why this is....WHY are so many parents and in-laws SO UNBELIEVEABLY hard to get along with. You are blessed beyond measure! Do you have ANY IDEA how blessed you are??

 

My own parents and in-laws are absolute NIGHTMARES! How I wish I had yours...anyones...just not mine! I wonder how on earth my DH and I have had ANY measure of success in our lives....but we have. ( By the Grace of God) We have a normal, loving, happy family. Our kids love us and we love them. How I hope and pray with a ferver you could not imagine, that I am a blessing to my children and grandchildren in my later years. If I am not, If I am anything like my parents or in-laws have been to us, I would just as soon...you know...not be here. My poor children have not a single functioning grandparent even though all four are alive. I am so sorry for them. But I promise them often that I will be a good grandparent to their kids. That is all I can do to make up for the nightmare that has been having these four as grandparents. UGH.....It's sometimes unbearable. Why is this the case so often??? The only thing I can think of is sin. Just pure unadulterated sin in the form of pride and selfishness. It is the ugliest thing I have ever seen.

 

:iagree:

Just because someone is older, and/or related, doesn't make them a nice person to be around.

 

My MIL shows up for a month to 6 wks at a time, and since her brothers all moved out of province, has been staying at a cousins. She's angry because the cousin's dh has an opportunity to take an orthodontics course (he's a dentist) in California, which means they'd be living in the States for 2 yrs just for the schooling. She's angry at THEM, because she won't have anywhere to stay! She actually had the nerve to ask them, "What about me?"

 

We cannot house her. We've had her for a wknd, and that was pushing our limits. We have a tiny 3 bedroom, she complained about it being too small, she didn't like having to sleep in a kid's room (Tazzie bunked in with us, she got his room, so its not like she was actually SHARING a room) she complained that my house was too messy, kids were too loud, we didn't discipline them...It was a weekend of nothing but complaints and criticism. We'd offered before to have her stay with us until she could find an apartment in our city. We were completely sincere in our offer, with a deadline in place for her...She turned us down. Frankly, as sincere as we were, we were also relieved. I'm not sure that Wolf could survive living under the same roof as his mother for longer than a weekend...because the weekend just about killed him. She makes it clear that nothing pleases her at all, moans and whines constantly, even giving Wolf complete Hades because we dared to play out in the front yard with the kids, 'abandoning her' inside. She'd been invited to join us, and refused...meaning we weren't allowed to take the kids outside I guess.

 

She's been caught lying about Wolf, spreading other lies and half truths around the family about me and the kids...She's a miserable person, most likely having NPD.

 

All this to say, if your inlaws are nice people, count your blessings.