How to Impress your In-Laws

Your goal in your marriage shouldn’t be to impress your in-laws because then you will feel like they are looking at you as if you only entered into the marriage to impress them when in actuality you entered into the marriage because of the feelings you have for their child. If you actually focus on your marriage and don’t worry about the way your in-laws feel about you it will help you relax and enjoy your marriage. This will help your in-law to see you for like you are and come to enjoy being around you. They will get to know the real you and not the image you think they want to see. Here are a few tips to help you impress your in-laws:

1. Be yourself – this is the most important tip because if you don’t then they will think you are someone else and not get to know you. This will be difficult for all of you and can go on to cause tension between you and your spouse also.

2. Treat them with Respect – if you force yourself to treat them with respect then you will find that they might actually enjoy spending time with you and won’t interfere as much in your relationship with your spouse.

3. Create Boundaries – this is important because once they know the boundaries then they won’t frustrate you as much without even realizing it. It would be smart to talk over the boundaries with your spouse to ensure they don’t have a problem with them. An example of a boundary is that unless there is an emergency, there aren’t any phone calls after a certain time at night, or something can’t be given to the children with discussing it with you first. My mother-in-law and I have an agreement. If there is something that normally falls into a age limit, i.e. makeup, then it is discussed first before the child is taken out to shop for makeup or whatever the item may be. This eliminates the frustration you can have and stops the hard feelings they can have.

4. Be Honest – if you don’t like the way something is handled, then be honest with them. Let them politely know how you feel and discuss alternatives to what happened. This will stop it from happening again.

If all else fails and you have a difficult time getting along with your in-laws then discuss it with your spouse and see if you can find out some ideas that will help you handle them in a dignified and respectful manner, because even if you don’t care for them, they are still your spouse’s parents and he/she has to get along with all of you. So try and make it easier on your spouse and quit trying to impress them and be yourself.