For a few months, in my first marriage, we lived with my in-laws - my wife and I and our four kids. There was the mom and dad in-law. But that was all. Of course, that was 8 plus their Pomeranian and our calico cat.

It is hard to stand at times. I had it easier with my DIL than my MIL, as he always seemed more like a real Dad than the one I had but barely knew. But my MIL, though she was a good person, seemed to always irritate or offend me, or hurt my feelings or vice versa. Finally I started "good-naturedly" acting as if what she was saying to me was meant as humor. And I would josh with her.

It helped me keep my balance, long enough to hold on until we moved out.

Perhaps you can't do that in your husband's family's culture, but maybe you can do it do it mentally, or subvocally. You know use humor within yourself to kind of be a safety valve.


Marge is the love of my life.