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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Do you pretend to be happy to see MIL?

MIL bugs me in a lot of ways. I still try to pretend to be happy to see her when she visits. (She lives out of town.) [b]I try to greet her with a smile and a hug,[/b] but I get stiffness and a bland "hi" back. I guess I should just stop trying. I'm not actually that happy to see her. [/quote]

Fake hugs are grating on some people.  It's one thing to be polite, but feigned affection is different.  Be polite and cheerful as you would with any houseguest or visitor to your house.  Skip the hug.  Imagine that it was your husband's boss coming for you dinner, what would you say?  Say the same thing like "It's nice to see you."  "How was your trip?"  "Hello.  It's cold out.  Come on in and get warm."  "I'm so glad you made it safely."  etc, etc.  You can be warm, pleasant and polite without the feigned affection.  I've seen in-laws where this approach (just polite and warm, but without forced, artificial affection, hugs or kisses) worked much more successfully.[/quote]

pp. How do I skip the hug? Would love to move to a less huggy place. Big hugs from ILs when we arrive, bug hugs "just because", big hugs when we say goodnight, big hugs when we leave. Ugh. I'm not a hugger.[/quote]

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