I know most of you
married people are thinking, “You like your in laws, you get along with them,
or you can spend more than five minutes in the same room with them before going
crazy?” The answer is yes to them all. I
am a very blessed girl (at 27 I don’t feel I am more than that) I truly enjoy
my in laws, my second set of parents if you will.
We always got along, at least I think so, we “dated “(high
school sweet hearts) for three years before we got engaged, and four before we
got married. At least for me I always
enjoyed their company, as much as a teenage can enjoy an adults company. As I
grew so did my love for not only my now husband but for his family. Everyone
talks about their “in-laws” as their spouse’s parents and siblings, I include
all his family. And I can say honestly we all get along, that I enjoy spending
time with them all.
Once my husband joined the Coast Guard my relationship with
his parents changed, he made sure of that. It went from “I am your sons
girlfriend” to “pre engaged”. His parents and I missed him while he was in
basic, I would go over at least once a week for dinner, and twice a week just
to hang out. My husband would send his mother and me on shopping trips to get
what he needed.
The first trip I took with his parents was to get him from
basic training, his father wouldn’t let me by a plane ticket when they were
driving up and there was no way my parents would let me drive myself. So it was
set, we would drive the NINE hours to New Jersey. It was a great trip and a
real bonding experience with just his parents; it also made me realize that
even though I loved the hubs, I could marry him without regrets. I knew I was
going to have AWESOME in-laws.
Over the next three years, I took more trips with his
parents, to visit my other in laws. With all of my newly extended family, I
have always been made to feel comfortable. My favorite moment with his extended
family is when I “dared” to venture to a family reunion myself while he was
gone. His parents were hosting and asked if I could come and help. Loving his
family I did. His great uncle (who is a favorite family member) came up to me
gave me a great big hug and said “I guess I am getting a real pretty, great
niece-in-law. “ He later told me that all the men of the family were talking
about how brave I was for showing up without the soon to be hubs. It was that
moment that I was “accepted” into the family.
When my husband I and I got married, we had a pastor who
taught our youth group going to officiate. Less than a month before the wedding
he informed the church he was leaving, moving to another state and would not be
in town. I was heartbroken, who would marry us? All of the pastors we grew up
with were gone. My husband’s uncle, a non-practicing pastor offered to step in
and officiate for us. It wasn’t a question; we knew that this should have been
the way it should have been all along.
Five years later his parents and I still get along GREAT!
Every year for Thanksgiving they come up the day before and spend thanksgiving
with just me, the hubs always ending up having to work it’s almost a tradition
now. Then we have a huge Thanksgiving fest when the hubs gets home. We have
also spent many holidays together with my parents, all together staying under
one roof. (The trick is a bathroom for each couple and an extra just in case.)
We have even had celebrations with my brother-in-laws family, all three
families in the same house, coming together to celebrate life’s most joyous
occasions, with no fighting, or having “the big pink elephant” in the room.
It’s a strange family dynamic, it might not be for everyone
but I know that my family (in-laws and extended in-laws) and I wouldn’t have it
any other way. I highly suggest marring a person that you can spend time alone
with their parents. It makes life so much easier to be able to celebrate all of
life’s joys with everyone.
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