Not getting along with your in laws or your partner’s family members? Keep reading to find out ways you may progress within the relationship.
- Evaluate the dynamic of this family
- Express what you are experiencing
- Sometimes using a third party is beneficial because it helps to hear things from someone else other than your partner (especially if this person feels as if he/she is being attacked or their family is being attacked)
- Stay firm and committed to your feelings – do not settle
- Make sure to use appropriate language – use “I statements” about your true feelings (Not attacking! Simply saying “I feel….”)
- Set boundaries with your partner (make clear what you will and will not tolerate from their family)
- Have a plan set with your partner (if you know you will be around the family, maybe set a certain amount of time you will be there for)
In a different perspective…Take a step back and re-evaluate. The family may be right. Maybe you are dating a toxic person. Maybe your partner really is the problem. Maybe your family have noticed a change in you since you have been dating him/her. Take time to self-reflect. Does your family truly know the person you are with?
Love 101 