Great Reasons to Stay On The Good Side Of Your In-laws

To answer the question of why you should stay on the good side of your in-laws my first thought is 'why not?'. Because the better your relationship with your in-laws tends to be a better relationship within your household as well. A little less stress and strain when Grandma roles in to visit for a week or so. But there are limits, more than a week can start to put a heavy that good side thing if you know what I mean.

One of the best reasons to have a good relationship with the in-laws in my opinion is kind of selfish, but works out well for a healthier relationship with my wife. When we just need to have a night out at the movies, dinner, etc. what better and more trusted babysitter can you call on than Grandma? That's right, free babysitting, well mostly free. You do need to make it a point that requests for babysitting are not the only reason you call on your in-laws.

Lets face it, most of us did not marry the little girl or boy who lived up the street who we played with them everyday since the water broke. I didn't meet my wife until she was 29. That means that there is a lot of information that I can gather by having a cup of coffee with the Mother-In-Law. You can find out what little things she did around the house as a youngster. It could help you to find out what dreams she used to have and give you an opportunity to be a little more sensitive in those areas. Or find out who some of her boyfriends were so you can systematically stalk each one leaving threatening notes and clues that there is no need to rekindle their lost love affair with your girl. Laugh, that's a joke. Unless you just need to. Back to the In-Laws...

I will admit my relationship with my in-laws is not perfect. But it is very good. At family gatherings (which is frequent since we live in the same town) I don't have to dodge anyone for fear of having to be confronted with some ugly words. We can play board games together, cards, etc. and just enjoy our time together.

I think that the only hard part about the in-laws in my experience is when my Father-In-Law passed away. He was a great man in my eyes, in his daughter's eyes and his wife's. It has been a number of years since he has gone to Heaven and we all have fond memories of him. What we have decided we miss about him most though is the fact that he kept my Mother-In-Law occupied. Remember the frequent family gatherings I mentioned earlier? Sometimes they are a little too frequent. But we love each other anyway.

So in closing, I can't think of a good reason not to develop and maintain a good relationship with your in-laws (apart from foul play of course). Your spouse will appreciate it, your in-laws will appreciate it (and if you play it right, they will even take your side in arguments with your wife!). But in seriousness, you don't know how long you will have them around, so enjoy a healthy relationship while you can.