"My in-laws live out of state, and this year, they are coming to our place for Thanksgiving. The trouble is that my husband told them they could stay with us for the entire week prior (without consulting me!). They are very difficult people-my mother-in-law especially so-and there is just no pleasing them. I can deal with them in limited doses, but the thought of them staying in my home for that whole week, nitpicking and criticizing my every action and parenting decision, is unbearable."
"You don't mention where your parents live, but I assume they live nearby, or you wouldn't have specified that his parents don't. You also don't mention how much time you and your husband spend with them, how he feels about them, whether there's an issue between the two of you over the disparity in time spent, etc. Nor do you say anything about how he feels about having his parents in the house (are they close? Is he excited about this visit?)."
The in-laws will visit for Thanksgiving, and the husband told them they could stay the entire prior week without consulting his spouse. The in-laws are difficult, especially the mother-in-law, and prolonged cohabitation provokes nitpicking and criticism of parenting decisions. The spouse prefers limited visits and threatens to take their son to her parents unless the in-laws stay in a hotel. The husband calls her selfish and insists she "suck it up." The situation reveals poor communication between spouses, divergent expectations about family time, and uncertainty about how each partner feels about extended in-law visits.
Read at Slate Magazine
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