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How To Deal With In-laws Visiting?

Discussion in 'Relationship With In-Laws' started by thegirlygirl, Apr 17, 2023.

  1. thegirlygirl

    thegirlygirl Platinum IL'ite

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    Dear Ilites,

    So this is a little bit of the background information.

    I married 15 months back and i'm living with my husband in a foreign country where both of us met before we got married.
    As soon as we got married PILs wanted to visit us within months of the marriage citing the reason that their visas were approved way before but they couldn't come and stay with their son due to the pandemic.
    I somehow managed to put it off by showing no interest in this discussion last year.
    The reason is very simple. It's an arranged marriage, we were rushed into the marriage by MIL while still in the midst of the pandemic! We still need time for each other, we were in our honeymoon phase and still very much are. But now its going to be ruined with PILs visiting!! :coldsweat::coldsweat::coldsweat::coldsweat:
    We live in a downtown area in a one bedroom condo and just one full bathroom! I have no idea where they are going to sleep and I have absolutely no idea how i will share the bathroom with them !!:disrelieved::disrelieved::disrelieved::disrelieved:

    My husband works full time, he often comes home very late, around 10 pm each night or even later than that.
    I have no job, i'm looking for a job since the past with one year with absolutely no luck. Hence i'm home all day.
    I'm currently visiting my parents in their country and my husband just called me and told me that their tickets are booked and they will be visiting for 3 whole months!! I don't know how to deal with this situation. He initially told me they would be visiting for 2 months. Now he told me that the tickets were turning out to be expensive for 2 months.
    Now even my holiday here has got ruined with this bad news, my anxiety will get the best of me.

    Please help me cope with this situation. We have never lived together before. We went to India last year and we only spent 4-5 days together with both the parents.
    The most important thing is that I have never ever shared a washroom with anyone and never lived in a one BHK ever in my life! I have always lived in very big houses with everyone having their own amenities and their privacy
    For my husband and his family this is very normal since they come from mumbai and they are used to living in a one BHK and sharing one washroom with 25 people.
    But for me, it is a shock!
    I have never invited my own parents to my place for this very reason. Even if they do decide to visit it will be one month maximum owing to these same reasons.
    How will I manage my time with them being around? I'm feeling very overwhelmed. I need to apply for a job or find something else. MIL keeps pestering me by sharing my resume with her aquintances who are here and connecting me with people here for a job. When i'm under one roof with her and her son being away at work I don't know how i'll manage this. Any initimacy between I and husband is out of question for 3 months.

    Please help me dear friends, I have forever relied on this forum for advice even as a young girl.
    I want to know how to manage my time, I don't want to waste the whole day on them when their son works extra hours at work and drops home late.
    How should I maintain my distance with them and still have a cordial and peaceful stay with them?
    MIL is a controlling self centered women who only thinks about herself and her happiness. She pays no heed to anyone's feelings or state of mind.
     
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2023
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  2. MalStrom

    MalStrom IL Hall of Fame

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    If people are nice and understanding in other ways then you will be able to adjust to things like sharing a bathroom, even if it’s not ideal. Since you are still all new to each other expect that there will be an adjustment curve.
    What is your husband’s plan for spending time with his parents? Is he going to take vacation and show them around? Or will the job fall to you? Clarify these things beforehand.
    Also make a plan for sleeping arrangements etc. Back in our early days in the US when we all lived in small apartments and had to host visitors all our furniture would be multifunctional:futons, sofa-beds, foldable dining tables and chairs etc.
    Also be prepared that your DH’s behavior might change when his parents are around. You may feel a me-vs-them vibe if they are all hanging out and talking about their family stories. He might also revert to being a son rather than your DH, if I’m explaining it correctly i.e he listens more to his mom than you.
    If you are used to an equal division of chores and household duties then your MIL might say something if she doesn’t like seeing her son doing any work. Again, if such things arise address them calmly and privately with your husband before they fester.
    As for yourself, try to see if you can volunteer somewhere for a few hours a week. You can say that it’s career related. Otherwise I’d at least have a plan of saying you’re going to the library every other day or so, to keep up your skills. Then you can sit in a coffee shop and catch a break.
     
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  3. Laks09

    Laks09 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    I would attend an interview every time I wanted to get out :grimacing:
     
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  4. SGBV

    SGBV IL Hall of Fame

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    First of all, I would suggest you to pick your battles wisely.

    I understand your concerns, as sharing a bathroom with family is my problem too :(
    Besides, sharing a 1BHK with 3 adults would be difficult, especially for a new DIL in her honeymoon phase.
    If your in laws are annoying or over preaching, then staying inside the house for a longer time would be tough too.

    Instead of saying NO to in laws 3 months vacation, you can start planning your vacation to your parents during their 3 months stay. You may highlight the privacy matters, lack of space in the 1BHK and their need to spend quality time with their son during their vacation in your discussion with your husband and offer to leave the house for 1 month to your parents' place as planned. This way, it will be taken as a favor.
    Do not mention anything regarding your disliking towards their mission, but the importance of your vacation to your parents' place as you may not find time once you start working down the line.

    Chose your holidays wisely. Perhaps the second month of their visit would be ideal to spend a month at your parents' place. This way, your mind would be elsewhere before and after your important vacation to your parents' place; hence you won't be too much occupied with the discomforts with in laws.

    During the other 2 months, spend quality time on yourself such as going to Gym/yoga sessions, shopping - even if it is window shopping, and socializing with friends outside of the house during noon. Encourage your MIL to take over the kitchen and cook for her son while she is there.

    Take enough time to search for jobs, attend interviews or even to pretend as one to avoid spending unwanted times with in laws.

    This way, you can manage their stay with minimal disruptions.

    As for the bathroom issue, encourage them to use the other toilet (if any) for nature calls. They can use the full bathroom only for bathing, which you can clean after. Of course extra effort, but it is worth for the peace of mind.
     
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  5. mangaii

    mangaii Finest Post Winner

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    get a job girl
    that is the only way to get out of in-laws problem
    keep finances under your control
    controlling in-laws + financially dependent DIL is a recipe for disaster
     
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  6. thegirlygirl

    thegirlygirl Platinum IL'ite

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    Thank you for your answer.

    Your suggestions for what all I can do while they are there are nice and I will apply those.

    As for taking a vacation home myself I can't do this since i'm already here with my parents for 2 months!

    MIL is a vicious scheming lady. I had hit such a low last month due to months of facing job rejection that I was severely depressed and continuosly crying to my mother on the phone. Hence I and my husband decided that I should visit home( a different country than my PIL's and current place) and spend time with my parents for a while and also get some change. I booked my tickets 10 days before my flight and as my husband suggested informed MIL a week before my trip.
    MIL was shocked to hear of the sudden trip and was not very pleased, she also sent a sarcastic messege to my mother. MIL even added that I should have instead gone to India and also spent some time with her, I reminded her that she herself would be soon landing at our place soon. :smirk::smirk::smirk:

    I think this is the reason she has now extended her trip from 2 months to 3 months. She wants to spend more time with her son and take more of my time than the time I am spending with my parents.

    1) The bathroom is one big issue. We do not even have a powder room! Hence I will have to share a bathroom in a tiny house with PILs while husband is away enjoying his privacy in the office.

    2) We do not even have a guest bedroom, hence they will be sleeping in the sitting room and spending their day there( hopefully not asking to come to my bedroom). Once I wake up in the morning I usually only go to my room at night. Now with the sitting room gone, I don't know where i'll be sitting the rest of the time. Probably locking myself away in my room......:pensive:
     
  7. thegirlygirl

    thegirlygirl Platinum IL'ite

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    I have been struggling with job search for a long time, i'm currently in a country that does not give jobs easily to its new immigrants. :cry:
    The thought of the repurcussions have given me cold feet from a long time.
    The finance management of this family is a totally different topic about which I'll gather the strength to post separetly some day.....
     
    Last edited: Apr 18, 2023
  8. Rihana

    Rihana Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    You say you are still in the honeymoon phase but are also on holiday visiting your parents for two months while your husband works late and comes home around 10 pm. He works long hours while you have been job-hunting for more than a year.

    When living abroad and running the risk of long unwelcome visits from in-laws, it is crucial for the woman to have a solid reason to be out of the house during the day, and to have some source of income, even if the earnings are small.

    When you return home from your holiday, tell your husband you've done some thinking, and want to work at any which job you can get. Then, go out and find that job. There are always work-arounds around visa and other limitations. Apply like crazy for jobs and for any volunteer opportunities you can. You need a way and reason to get out of the house for at least a few hours each day for your sanity and that of your marriage when they are visiting.
     
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  9. thegirlygirl

    thegirlygirl Platinum IL'ite

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    There are also a few other concerns.

    My husband does not help much around the house, even when I was studying the whole of last year.
    It has been a real stuggle with him. He does minimal tasks of hovering, mopping and a little bit of dusting and bathroom cleaning just one day of the week( either saturday or sunday). This too i have to remind him, it needs cajoling, threatening and some times even a strike! On weekends he sleeps till late and wakes up at 3 or even 4 pm.
    I do the cooking, meal prepping, cleaning and pooja everyday.
    He doesn't even put the food into the fridge after he eats his dinner late after coming home or even put his plate into the dishwasher and turn it on. I have to be awake to clean up after him.
    I know his folks don't like him doing anything around the house.
    How should I manage the chores when they are around? I know he will use their stay as an opportunity to get away from any kind of work that he can.

    She calls from India everyday and controls whatever we do, now with her around I don't know how much she will dominate.
     
  10. mangaii

    mangaii Finest Post Winner

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    It is just you and husband living in 1BR apartment with you staying home
    Not sure why you need husband's help when he is working long hours every day .
    Isn't unfair ?
    you need to be a bit fair in your outlook.
     

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