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Another rant about the inlaws

Jcksjj's picture

All of this constant crap with the inlaws is really stressing me out and causing a great deal of anger, so I want to get it all of my chest. 

DH is going back and forth between being pissed and admitting their all a**holes and trying to pretend everything is fine and trying to downplay it and make excuses. He also wants to place most of the blame for FIL and SILs behavior on MIL alone. I dont buy that. They're all adults and responsible for their behavior.

I'm friends with them all on Facebook, but unfollowed FIL almost immediately, and unfollowed MIL and SIL maybe a couple months ago. But today I felt compelled to creep on them, mainly to confirm to myself that yes, they are that bad and I'm not wrong for deciding I just dont want to deal with them.

FIL in the last 24 hours, among other rants, posted an article ranting about immigrants and commented on it referring to Muslims (my nephews family, so FILs grandsons cousin, is Muslim and his mom was a refugee)  as goat f*ckers. There was also a video where a psychologist explained why rape victims continued to be friendly to Harvey Weinstein. FILs take on this, direct quote: "She's not as smart as she let's on the reason the women stayed friendly after the rapes is they got whatever they were after." It took me probably a good hour to hold back on commenting on either.

SIL had posted pictures of several more events with her kids that only SD was invited to. MIL had lots of teary, victim-y quotes implying how awful everyone is to her when all she wants to do is spread love and kindness. So needless to say I got the confirmation I needed. Theres not much benefit to me or my kids to continue being around these people. I'm not entirely sure why DH wants to, although I can empathize a bit with the fact that it's his family that he grew up with. I dont understand why he thinks hes "lucky to have a dad like he does." Unfortunately DH seems to still want me to go with to his family events. Can't imagine why he doesnt want to go alone. Probably because he doesnt really enjoy everyone fighting to have their needs come first, needing to confirm to all of them that they are indeed the smartest people that ever existed, and the random nasty outbursts and comments. They're all emotionally 2 years old.

It pisses me off though because it's such a waste. Extended family can be a huge asset. It would never hurt to have more role models and good people around. Instead they're draining and I'm sick of wasting my time and energy dealing with their constant intrusions and DHs trying to cope with them. 

I feel somewhat better at least after typing it all out.

Comments

strugglingSM's picture

They sound like lovely people. (LOL!)

I hope your DH has lots of therapy planned for himself, because it's not easy to unlearn all this terrible dysfunctional behavior. 

FIL sounds abusive and MIL sounds like my own MIL, who uses her "love" for everyone as her justification for not respecting everyone's boundaries. 

In my case, DH realized deep-down that his family was not who they wanted him to be, but it took some really egregious incidents and lots of prodding from me to get him to pull back from all of them. He periodically tries to tell me that I made him turn away from his family, but then I remind him that a) he told me things about his family that indicated he could see their true colors before I even formed an opinion; b) he rarely hears from his family unless they want something from him and that isn't any different than the way things were before he met me.

He's now also seen how my family treats one another, which I think has been eye-opening for him. For example, when DH was in the hospital, my mother offered to fly out the next day if either of us needed help. He didn't even hear a peep from BIL or SIL and MIL was just upset that she was going to have to "waste food" because we were supposed to go over to her house for brunch, but cancelled because DH had been hospitalized. 

It's still a hard pill for him to swallow that his family aren't the perfect family that they would like everyone to think they are, but I think it helps both of us to keep them at arms length. 

hereiam's picture

My DH's attitude about his own family (except his parents, who are deceased) is, "I love them from afar". We have very little to do with them. He talks to a few of them on the phone but that is about it.

BethAnne's picture

Sounds like it is time to call it a day on your relationship with them all.

Take weddings and funerals on a case-by-case basis and other than those I would avoid all family events and activities. Your husband can take your joint kids to events if he wants but I would work with him to develop some guide lines as to what you think is and is not acceptable for them to be around and get his commitment that he will remove them if the situation is not healthy for them. 

Apart from that I would just try your hardest to ignore them and their lives. Your husband can be their point of contact. 

Tin Can Zen's picture

Preach on! I'm realizing that the in law junk never will fade. It will rear it's ugly head every dang holiday, seasonal change, vacation, sporting event with a dip bowl, and my own kids' milestone moments. It's so no ok. Sorry you got a dud bunch for extended family for your kids. I feel you. 

Exjuliemccoy's picture

Those people are your DH's family of origin, so he's been conditioned to think their ways are normal. He has a place and a role in their dynamic, and probably unconsciously slips right into it when he's around them.

My DH worked in law enforcement for many years. He handled countless disputes involving dysfunctional families, couples, parents with delinquent kids, etc. He can spot a liar or a mentally unstable person with unerring accuracy, tell if someone is high,  counsel like a priest and calm an angry drunk. But around his own family, he becomes weak and powerless. He would fall right in with the dysfunction that has existed for many decades, and just go along with whatever crap or drama was occurring. 

These men know that something is wrong in their FOO, but psychologically it can be hard to admit and harder still to identify specifics. Look at all the women who come to ST saying they have a skid or BM problem, when it's really a H problem. Accepting hard truths takes time, support, and a willingness to face reality. Some people never do.

Your challenge is to distance and protect yourself and your bios without starting a war. Your in-laws are not going to change, but they will go on the offensive if they perceive you as a threat to the way they've been doing business for decades. Your DH is still tied by fear, obligation, and guilt (FOG) to his FOO, and may start to resent you for drawing healthy (but oh so inconvenient!) boundaries. And there's SD and BM, also flinging poo if you disrupt things. 

IMO, the best way to handle interpersonal poo in a marriage is to gradually fade back from it. Slowly, incrementally disappearing while still following form means you can't be accused of anything overt, and your marriage won't be taxed by you repeatedly pointing out bs to your DH and him feeling pressured to deal with it. Rock that passive resistance, and just don't engage. Don't answer calls from the in-laws, don't respond immediately to texts. You're a busy wife and mother, right? Stay that way, and fill life up with obligations and activities that make you unavailable. Throw the in-laws a bone once in a while by inviting them to your house for a meal, but start establishing that your home is where visits happen and cut out the trips to Mecca. Use fewer words, and let your actions speak.

Make your home and marriage a place of comfort and sanctuary. That's what I did. And I stopped being a buffer, so my DH had to handle his people. He got fed up with the drama, manipulation, and games, and didn't like being pressured. Creating opportunities for your DH to feel and experience inconvenience and negativity from his FOO will help open his eyes. 

Jcksjj's picture

"Throw the in-laws a bone once in a while by inviting them to your house for a meal, but start establishing that your home is where visits happen and cut out the trips to Mecca."

What's interesting about that is for the most part they wont come up and visit us, but then cry about us never visiting them. And MIL absolutely will not come without FIL. I've always thought its because shes less uncomfortable and not in control when shes not on her own turf.

How do you create opportunities for him to feel and experience inconvenience and negativity from them?

Exjuliemccoy's picture

All the more reason to stay in your own home, you busy, overworked mother Wink As for your last question, what are some things associated with the inlaws that your DH doesn't like having to handle? What's his achilles heel? Identify what things about his family irritate the H@ll out of him, and find ways to expose him to that stuff.

My DH is awkward socially (common trait in his family), conflict avoidant, and liked to dump his parenting on me when YSD lived with us. So I was his social secretary/facillitator/nanny. I was the one who stayed on top of his teen daughter, arranged family parties, reminded him to call so&so on their birthday, bought presents, etc. UNTIL I stopped.

With YSD, I got a second job so I wasn't around to be a buffer. DH had to actually be a parent, and he didn't enjoy it. He got fed up with her ish (the same stuff he dismissed when I was irritated by it), started saying NO to her, and she eventually moved out.

With his family it was harder because there were several females acting in concert who were older, sneakier, more subtle and skilled in manipulation. Once I stepped back from OSD, they closed ranks and I was designated an Enemy of the State. They conspired, and took turns applying pressure and planting poisonous seeds to try to drive a wedge in our marriage. But I know DH better than they ever have, so I 1) started referring all communications to DH, 2) got busy building a social life separate from DH, and 3) adopted a terminal case of "I don't know". DH was inundated by calls and texts from his female relatives, which stressed him out. If one of them contacted me trying to schedule something or to find out why DH hadn't returned their umpteenth vm, I knew nothing about anything and referred them back to DH. All the pressure was on him instead of me, and I was off enjoying myself. When I was home, despite the distance that was between us, I made sure that our home was peaceful, comfortable, cooked yummy meals, etc. 

EDIT: (I hit Enter too soon) I know it sounds sexist and trite, but I know my man and the creature comforts he appreciates. I wanted him to see the things he'd be giving up if he lost me, because most men are simple and just want to be comfortable.

Ispofacto's picture

There is a sense of loss when you were hoping to join a loving extended family and finally realize it will never be.  This is doubly true if your own FOO is absent for any reason.  It's okay to grieve that loss.

Fill you life with awesome friends and spend your time with positive people as much as possible.