Don't Roll Your Eyes

Book excerpt: More than two million couples wed every year in the United States, bringing together a whole new family unit. The extended family may now include a hard to please mother-in-law who criticizes her daughter-in-law's childrearing; or a patriarchal father-in-law who expects all the kin round the dinner table every Sunday; or a new spouse, who a year or decade out, still gets shellshock visiting the in-laws. If that wasn't cause enough for a stiff drink, more than a million couples divorce each year, creating hard to define family structures. How do families handle the inevitable friction and how do they make sense of evolving family relationships? Ruth Nemzoff, an expert in family dynamics, empowers family members across the generations to define and create lasting bonds, including how to: *Welcome a new in-law from a different culture and religion into your family. *Not let differences of politics or philosophy impact quality time with the extended family. *Respond to major life changes in an in-law's life, including financial crises, illnesses, or career changes. *Retain warm connections with in-laws even amidst divorce and remarriage. This is a must read for anyone dealing with a difficult in-law as well as anyone who will soon be welcoming a new member to their family.