I have something in between. I like them, for the most part. But they can, and do, drive me completely insane sometimes. Mostly because they enable my SIL to act like a moron and think they are "helping" her while she takes advantage of them. It's maddening. However, they are good people who I know love us so I do my best to make them happy in ways I feel good about, while drawing gentle boundaries when I need too.

Love mine. DH has a bunch of siblings and they are all wonderful, as are their spouses/partners and kids. MIL has always adored me, and is very kind and low maintenance. FIL died three years ago now and I still miss him. Glad he wasn't my father, because he was crazy-making, but he was a good hearted person and larger than life. I even love my husband's aunt and her whole clan. I'm very lucky.

My parents are not without fault, but my in-laws are insufferable and treat my spouse (their child) very poorly. They manipulate, guilt, and otherwise diminish everything my spouse does and continue to treat my spouse as a child. They don't respect boundaries, act out at any attempts to establish boundaries, demand that they "be respected". They have also never been, nor will they ever be, wrong about anything - and they know it all.

We have too much going on to deal with people who have nothing better to do than to cause drama and pain, but my spouse has some psychological need to gain their approval which has pretty much become the biggest sticking point in our marriage.

Anonymous wrote:I have wonderful in-law but just like you can get annoyed at times with your own parents...I can get just as annoyed with my in laws. The difference is that with my parents I will tell them that I am getting annoyed with my in laws I don't.

This. I like my in-laws, but since they're not my parents it's a little tricky. I say that I know how to manage my family's minor dysfunctions, but I don't have the same coping tools for my family-in-law.

Anonymous wrote:I love mine - they are loud, huggy, and involved (but also have a good sense of when to not cross a boundary) which is sweet to me, having grown up in a loving but much more reserved family.

They are fun-loving and super generous and I wish we were able to see them more often, but they live far away. I am a New England WASP and my MIL is basically Linda Richman from SNL and we've cracked each other up from day one. They raised a wonderful man and I feel lucky every day to be a part of the family.

So funny! I posted earlier about my husband's more distant family and my more "in your business" family. We're living opposite lives! So glad you can appreciate your MIL for who she is and that she appreciates you for you. I'm sure a family likes ours can be hard for a more reserved person, so thanks (on their behalf) for getting a kick out of them!!

I like my in-laws 10 times better than my parents.

I have a fairly neutral relationship with FIL and MIL- we get along fine, but aren't particularly close. SILs/BILs, I like better than my own sister!

DH says that he adores my parents (his ILs), and is closer with them than with his own parents.

If we could take my parents and his siblings, we'd have the perfect family!

Anonymous wrote:I like my in-laws better than my own parents.

Me Too!

I have wonderful in-law but just like you can get annoyed at times with your own parents...I can get just as annoyed with my in laws. The difference is that with my parents I will tell them that I am getting annoyed with my in laws I don't.

I love mine - they are loud, huggy, and involved (but also have a good sense of when to not cross a boundary) which is sweet to me, having grown up in a loving but much more reserved family.

They are fun-loving and super generous and I wish we were able to see them more often, but they live far away. I am a New England WASP and my MIL is basically Linda Richman from SNL and we've cracked each other up from day one. They raised a wonderful man and I feel lucky every day to be a part of the family.

I don't particularly like mine, but I love them

I love mine- we have differences of course, but they really welcomed me with open arms. I wish they lived closer.

I love my in-laws, all four of them.

FIL and step-MIL live locally and are pretty awesome. They are supportive, unobtrusive, and easygoing. Step-MIL can be overbearing and overly chatty at times, but it's because of wanting to do helpful things, not trying to push some agenda.

MIL and step-FIL do not live locally but visit often and have their own condo here. They are also supportive and unobtrusive. They have built several very successful companies and I am in a similar industry, so I enjoy talking to them about it. They are really smart, kind people.

Yes, I do. They're different from my parents--quieter and more emotionally reserved--but they're good people. They raised a son who is a real mensch, which is enough for me to give them a whole lot of credit.

I've never even met my MIL. My husbands family lives in Bangladesh and we can't afford to visit his country until we both finish our PhDs. His father died when he young so I don't have a FIL. His mother also doesn't speak English. I don't think I will have any issues