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[quote=Anonymous]I realize I may come off sounding like a princess, but here goes.  My in laws are good, well-intentioned people, but they drive me nuts and I dread spending time with them. Does anyone have suggestions for how to rearrange my mindset so that I don't dread each family gathering for months in advance?

We don't see family often.  Mostly the occasional visit from someone attending a conference in DC, but we do alternate Christmas with my family and DH's family.  On years when we don't spend Christmas with DH's family, they usually plan a camping trip somewhere.  
I'm not entirely sure what the source of my dread is.  I know I've felt varying degrees of frustration over the following at different times:
•	Before we had kids a lot of the in laws had kids, so we did a lot of kid activities.  Now that DH and I have a toddler, everyone else seems to be done with kids activities....except for us.
•	DH and I typically have to travel the furthest and have the least vacation time.  We also seem to end up in random parts of fly over country that I would never dream of visiting anyway.
•	At times everyone seems to do their own thing when we get together, so why did we fly there in the first place?
•	A lot of sarcasm and one SIL can't seem to say anything to my MIL without somehow criticizing my MIL's parenting style.  I was raised by a single mom so I know I am a little sensitive to criticism of moms.
•	Extreme frugality BY CHOICE.  Nobody is rich, but no one is struggling either.  I grew up with constant financial stress, so I think their extreme frugality triggers the fear I felt as a kid, that things were about to go under at any moment.

My in laws will never change.  I know that.  I also realize they are good people and that in the grand scheme of things all of this is really mild stuff.   I would love to find a way to not dread seeing them.  Any suggestions?
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