Happy Mother’s Day!
May 16, 2007
Ok, so the post is a few days late, but I’ve got a baby and a full time job, so I think I’m still in the safe zone 
Several weeks ago a few of the regular readers/commenters asked me about my mother-in-law. As the stereo-type goes, some people seem to have quite a bit of difficulty with their in-law’s, and asked if I had any advice. I am one of the lucky few who actually enjoys her mother-in-law’s company. Xander is her fourth grandchild, and as with the other three, he thinks she is great. She is always happy to help whenever she is free, and although she offers suggestions and advice, she never interferes in Zach’s and my parenting style. Honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better mother-in-law.
Similarly my own mother is pretty awesome. Don’t get me wrong - we definitely had our battles growing up, but I appreciate her wisdom and advice these days. She is also excellent with my son, and I haven’t seen her be silly and make a baby laugh like that in years - it’s really great to watch. All in all, I’m really darn lucky in the parent/in-law area. Both mothers are wonderful examples of parents - and I learn more from them every time we visit.
Thus, I don’t have much good advice for dealing with challenging in-laws, though there are plenty of sites that have recommendations such as Baby Center and Baby.com. A simple search for mother-in-law brings up more articles than I would have expected. I would encourage anyone to do two things when having challenges with an in-law. First, consult your spouse. The last thing you need is friction between you two when there is already friction between you and an in-law. Second, address the problem somehow. If you just let it fester, you’ll be resentful, and they might sense that something is wrong, and the issue will never be resolved. It may turn out that a conversation with your spouse resolves the issue and helps you to better understand an in-law’s motivation. Other situations may require a heart-to-heart with the individual in question.
I would love to hear some input from anyone who has some experience with a challenging in-law - I’m sure there are plenty of people out there with some more practical wisdom than mine
Hope you had a great first Mother’s Day Sara! I am also lucky in the in-law department, as is Alex! I am looking forward to seeing both sets of parents with our kids, whenever we actually get around to having any!
I really hope Xander gets to meet little Josie next weekend. Make sure you take a picture for me!
Talk to you soon!