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Prince · 11-26-2003, 08:20 AM

I'm interested to hear about your relationship with your SO's family. Has it been smooth sailing all the way, or a rocky road of horrors?

My wife's father's a somewhat die-hard conservative republican Texan head-of-the-family type. He wasn't exactly thrilled to learn that his daughter was getting married to a European, especially one without a college degree. Almost no one in her family really accepts our marriage, and none of them welcomed me into the family or anything. Her parents didn't come to the wedding, but her grandparents did.

It's time for the family festivities again. Thanksgiving and Christmas. I always feel like the odd man out, in a crossfire of questions about matters that really are none of their business. Naturally I never say this, but it does get annoying to have to feel defensive all the time. I came from Finland, no it's not in the Third World. No, Finns aren't communists (and so what if we were?).

They are her family, though, for better or worse. We talked last night about the fact that even if we were to move somewhere up north (Oregon, maybe), she'd still want to come down to Texas for the holidays, to spend these holidays with her family. Regardless of the disrespect they've shown her in the past - in spades. And I do understand that.

I guess being thousands of miles away from 'home' I kind of feel like I'd like us to start our own holiday traditions that did not revolve around her family and their plans. But I guess in the end the 'revolving' is only something in my head, and not really real.

Anywho, rant over, how do you get along with your [future/possible] in-laws?

11-26-2003, 08:20 AM	#1 (permalink)
Prince /nɑndəsˈkrɪpt/ Location: LV-426	In-laws. I'm interested to hear about your relationship with your SO's family. Has it been smooth sailing all the way, or a rocky road of horrors? My wife's father's a somewhat die-hard conservative republican Texan head-of-the-family type. He wasn't exactly thrilled to learn that his daughter was getting married to a European, especially one without a college degree. Almost no one in her family really accepts our marriage, and none of them welcomed me into the family or anything. Her parents didn't come to the wedding, but her grandparents did. It's time for the family festivities again. Thanksgiving and Christmas. I always feel like the odd man out, in a crossfire of questions about matters that really are none of their business. Naturally I never say this, but it does get annoying to have to feel defensive all the time. I came from Finland, no it's not in the Third World. No, Finns aren't communists (and so what if we were?). They are her family, though, for better or worse. We talked last night about the fact that even if we were to move somewhere up north (Oregon, maybe), she'd still want to come down to Texas for the holidays, to spend these holidays with her family. Regardless of the disrespect they've shown her in the past - in spades. And I do understand that. I guess being thousands of miles away from 'home' I kind of feel like I'd like us to start our own holiday traditions that did not revolve around her family and their plans. But I guess in the end the 'revolving' is only something in my head, and not really real. Anywho, rant over, how do you get along with your [future/possible] in-laws? __________________ Who is John Galt?