Article July 25, 2011 Issue

Getting along with my father-in-law

Name withheld

Five years ago, my husband and I decided to move in with his parents because they needed help with their big house. 

Now you have to know that my husband had had a very tense relationship with his parents in the past. And his first marriage had broken up because of disputes between his parents and his previous wife. My father-in-law was not popular in our small village in Germany because of his selfishness and rude manner. He had no friends, everyone stayed away from him, and relatives never even came to visit.

Because I am someone who always seeks harmony, I agreed to the move and to help take care of my husband’s parents later, if necessary. When word got around that I would be moving in, all of my friends warned me, and good advice came from all sides. There were prophecies of doom, and everyone said I didn’t stand a chance in that house.