Everyone knows that having a baby, while generously a joyous event, is very stressful and can challenge even the best marriages. (My advice for keeping your sex life active as a new mom)
New children in the family affects more than just Mom and Dad – Grandma and Grandpa’s relationships with family members can change as well.
This article on Starts at Sixty! highlights some examples of both happy and strained relationships between mother-in-laws and their child’s partner. I can’t help but notice that in many of the happy examples, communication and connection extends throughout all members of the family. They truly accept and appreciate each other as family members, not only by marriage.
In contrast, in the strained relationships there’s a theme of parents taking advantage of the grandparents generosity and power differentials at play. If I had these families in my office for Imago Relationship Therapy, I would encourage the new parents to appreciate both sets of grandparents with both words and actions.
Commentaires