5 Tips for Getting Along With the In-Laws
2019-01-11

Source: CNN

“You don’t just marry the person, you marry the person’s family”. When you marry someone, you aren’t just accepting an individual into your life; you’re gaining a new family as well! However, getting along with your partner’s family isn’t always easy and you may find that your relationship with your in-laws or soon to be in-laws can begin slightly strained. Nevertheless, if you’re earnest about working on your relationship with them, it can only get better. Here are a few things you can do to improve your relationship with your in-laws. 

Communication is Key

Get into the habit of communicating with them. That doesn’t mean that you need to text them as often as your BFFs, but it would be nice to seek their opinion on a venue for family dinners or a gift for either of the in-laws. Just letting them know when you see or hear something that you know they’re interested in keeps the communication channel open and flowing while telling them that you think of them. This makes communicating about bigger issues easier and talking is always a great way to resolve any differences. 

Attempt to Understand Each Other

Often, misunderstandings are the root of many strained relationships. If there’s anything that your in-laws do or say that upsets you or that you’re uncomfortable with, try to stand in their shoes and understand why they did what they did. You may be surprised to find that they might be working towards the same objective, only with different methods of approaching it! 

While you might still not agree with them, it will be much easier to get along with them once you can see where they’re coming from. Understanding each other is also the first step of figuring out how you can meet in the middle which will definitely ease any tensions.

Avoid Competition 

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Making your partner happy or being a good family member is not a competition. No one wins if everyone is upset, so there’s no point in trying to one up your in-laws. You and your in-laws have different roles with different strengths and capabilities and very likely, the common interest of your partner’s happiness. So do what you can so that you and your in-laws get along and that’s a win for everyone.  

Stay Open

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Keep an open heart and open mind for the best interactions with your in-laws. Being part of a completely different family with different ways of working and doing things means that some practices may be unfamiliar to you, but that doesn’t mean you should dismiss them. Instead, keep an open mind and be willing to listen – from there, work your way towards a better relationship. 

Be Respectful

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Respect begets respect. If you’re looking to build a relationship that is mutually respectful and caring, then you should never stop being respectful at the very least. Even if they are not respectful, it doesn’t mean that you should follow suit, try to counter any negativity with positivity instead. 

Cultivating brand new relationships aren’t always a smooth process, but keep trying and that effort will be recognised! It may take some time and a lot of work, but the good relations you can achieve with your in-laws will be completely worthwhile.