Ask Amy: Online meeting might lead to a trap
I would consider this if they were unwell and needing help, but this is not the case.
They are in their late-50’s, healthy, and live about an hour away.
I do NOT get along with my in-laws, due to some issues we’ve had over the last five years. I’m not blaming them entirely for these clashes, but their behavior toward me has been extremely disrespectful. (For instance, after a minor disagreement during an overnight stay, they insisted that I needed to leave their home – but my wife could stay.)
I’m talking about oil meeting water, here. We just don’t mix well.
How should I approach this?
– Loving Husband
Dear Husband: You approach this by emphatically declaring that you will not cohabit with her parents.
Don’t put her folks down. Do say that you and she are forming a household and family together, and it is vital that you not introduce oil into your placid waters.
Dear Amy: I was really affected by the question from “Stuck,” about his dysfunctional relationship with his brother.
I could have written that!
Thank you for your gentle and understanding approach. Your description of this as a “perpetual dance of disappointment” is right on.
– Stuck Brother
Dear Brother: I hope you found encouragement to try to rewrite your own script.
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(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)
©2024 Amy Dickinson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
