Everyone has heard of or experienced it for themselves, the In-Laws. Those people you married into, the ones you always need to be on top of your game for. The ones that are not your laid back parents. I'm fortunate to have wonderful In-Laws so there's no issue really when they visit. But I have heard from others lots of horrific stories and Hollywood is always showing how the Mother-in-law hates the Daughter-in-law.... Monster In Law ring a bell for anyone?
So how do you make sure you make it through family visiting without having them spoil your kids rotten, or lose your mind? I have a few tips to help when family visits (yours or your spouse's):
1. Have the house clean. I've always felt better about everything once my house is clean. Not deep clean like cleaning out the cabinets & fridge, but a little better clean than just picking up.
2. Let the kids' behavior slide a bit. I'm very strict when it comes to my kids. They don't run around the house, no pushing, no biting, they are to pick up after they are done playing, etc. But when family is here they get so excited - they forget some rules. It's very tough but I try to not get mad at them, after all they don't see family everyday.
3. But there is a limit to that generosity. The family, be it mine or my husband's, always bring goodies for everyone. Tons of toys! I can't be too mad, I enjoy getting stuff too (who doesn't!?). But if they get too forgetful of the rules, like hitting each other or refusing to share their new toys with each other, I step in and correct them.
4. Don't be afraid to disciple or correct your kids. I hate yelling at my kids! If you've ever hung out with me you'd think the opposite. I really don't enjoy it but someone has to. Fortunately for me, my In-laws understood and agreed with me in those few moments I had to stop my kid's bad behavior.
5. Try to be on the same page with your spouse. When they're not your parents, or even when your family is in town, it helps to be on the same page as your spouse. Nothing is worse than 2 different plans for the same day. We live 2200 miles away from family so it's wonderful to have family visit but with our normal routine all messed up and the kids running wild to "perform" in-front of my In-laws or my parents for that matter, the best partner to help me not go crazy alone is my husband.
6. Have fun! Like I've said many times, our family doesn't visit us often because of the distance. It is a real treat to have family, his or mine, visit us and I try not to spoil it with a bad mood or yelling or over planning. We just do whatever the group is feeling that day. We have our favorite places to eat with family, favorite places to shop or site see but we also enjoy just hanging with them at our house too.
Family should not be stressful, although no one tends to stress you out more than family. Enjoy them while you have them. There are people out there with no family. I miss me family everyday and I do envy those people that have them close by. This Thanksgiving/Christmas season I will be flying to see my family and I am counting the days until that happens.
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