THE MOTHER-IN-LAW Survival Guide

My mother-in-law was the easiest person to buy presents for. All she ever wanted was an abundance of alone time with my husband, Jamie. One year, she actually asked for 36 holes of golf with him, and only himwhich shakes down to at least eight hours, not including the inevitable extra few hours practicing their swings on the range beforehand or tossing back a few drinks at the 19th hole afterward. She really adored him-drinking up time with him but also just plain drinking with him.
Do I even need to say that that situation is the opposite of what exists in my own family, where long stretches of together time happen only with a TV and a Coke Zero nearby? Which is why it struck me as so foreign and unexpected and I'll say it!wrong. Of course, it wasn't wrong; it was just different from what I was used to. Families are microcultures, explains Christine E. Kunkle, PhD, a professor in communication studies at West Virginia University who has researched family and mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationships. "Our patterns of behavior, our ways of doing rituals-it's like water to a fish," she says. "You don't necessarily notice it because you're swimming in it all the time." But when you're dropped into someone else's water, you notice every little difference, every tiny little bothersome bit of flotsam.
To further that analogy, your fishbowl probably looks very different from your mother-in-law's due to generational differences. "I had to work all the time when my kids were little," my friend Allie (not her real name) says.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Volume 3. No 4 - 2023-Ausgabe von The Oprah US.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 9.500 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Volume 3. No 4 - 2023-Ausgabe von The Oprah US.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 9.500 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden

SWEET IDLE
72 hours in Lake Como might sound like a whirlwind. But as Paulie Dibner learned, when you stay at the exact right place, time stands still.
Peak Solitude
In the aftermath of the L.A. fires, it was only on a solo ski trip that author, writer, and podcast host Elise Loehnen was able to reconnect with her fearless younger self-and finally let the tears flow.

THE LIFE AQUATIC
Turns out, a luxury cruise is the best mother-and-son vacation you've never thought of. Jennifer Tung reports on the shared bliss of not lifting a finger.

Anything But Lonely
Bonding over creative pursuits gives new meaning to the term solo travel.

Secret Mexico
Thanks to its geographic isolation and commitment to conservation, Careyes has retained an unspoiled natural beauty—and long been the playground to an international creative set with a taste for the otherworldly.
THE TAO OF SURF
In the wake of her mother's death, a 54-year-old overachiever surrenders to the waves and dives headlong into the joy—and terror—of being a beginner.

48 Hours in Charleston
An easy nonstop flight from most major U.S. airports, this Southern charmer– home to world-class restaurants, gracious architecture, and achingly beautiful tree-lined streets–is our new favorite weekend getaway with friends.

One Last Run
Pilar Guzmán faces an empty nest and marks the end of an era with one more ski trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Forever Young
Plagued by too many aches and pains to count, Catherine Hong ditched her family and flew to a longevity retreat in Arizona. Here, her dispatch from the desert.

My Sister, My Hero
Fresh from heartbreak, writer Christina Pérez joins her sister in Cambodia, where the familiar rhythms of their lifelong bond help her begin to heal.