Christmas is here yay! But did I sense you aren't overly excited because you have to visit your in-laws?
Some people have in-laws that are sweet and easy to get along with, others are not so lucky. They are always at loggerheads with the family of their husband.
I am one of those people, and after 8 years of being with my husband, I have been through many family holidays where I am extra careful and watched my back.
If things are not going on well between you and your in-laws, this was how I coped, you might want to heed my advice.
1. Hang out with the children
If you are really a good aunty, I'm sure the young ones of the family will like you. The co-wives and the adults in the family might not be your best friends (pardon my words) but I'm sure the kids are cool. Hold that small girl that adores you and go around with her wherever you go(she's your bullet proof cos adults will be careful what they say to you around her).
2. Kill Them With Kindness
Heh heh. I love this part. Even if you are not my favourite person, I will still give you my fake smile and hug you as if we are good. I remember feeling a co-wife of mine recoil in disgust as I gave her a bear hug (na beef dey worry her). Truth is, when you are extra kind to them, they'll be confused and that makes you look like the innocent woman being victimized by them. And isn't that just cool?
3. Let Your Kids Steal The Show
Dress up your kids, let them be the centrepiece of the occasion. Does Junior know how to count from 1-100 at age 3? Let him keep entertaining them with his counting or is your daughter a good dancer? Play the music and watch her dance and comment on how good she is, "She took after me now" I'm sure they'll roll their eyes at that.
4. Don't stay too long
Have a perfect excuse for leaving soon rehearsed before you leave your home. "Shoot! I have to go...." Or receive a call then say, "someone is waiting for me at home, I really have to go" But bear this in mind, even if you have only three hours to spend, make your presence felt. So that they won't say you left to avoid working. Make your appearance and like a flash, get out of there.
5. Secure An Ally
If you aren't an awful person, you should have at least someone in the family who does not hate you. Team up with the person and be friends, so that you'll have someone else besides your husband to make small talk with. Make sure you say funny things so you can laugh out loud (not too loud though) and make others wonder what you are talking about. But if all of them are mean, then, accept my sincere sympathy.
6. Stop Going Altogether
There's a limit to how much you can keep trying, for me when I got tired of trying so hard and I dreaded Christmas, I stopped going there altogether. You deserve to have a good time during the holiday, not with haters. Celebrate the holiday with your family and in the evening, you can go out and visit friends. Make it memorable for your family, don't suffer yourself needlessly.
If your in-laws and co-wives love you and you are in good terms, congrats, if they aren't, accept my sympathy. In the meantime, use any of the following tips and survive the holiday. Pity you, though, holidays aren't meant to be survived, they are meant to be enjoyed.
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