Hi there,
So my family and I (husband and two teenage sons) are on holiday at our house in Thailand and my mother in law is arriving tomorrow for a two week (!!!) stay. And all I am feeling is complete dread sprinkled with more than a little resentment.

We don’t get on that well, as you might have guessed. A little bit of personality clash but mostly my mother in law just really doesn’t like me. She blames me that her son has moved away from home (the UK) to live in Australia (where my family is from) and she lets it be known. We have been married for over 15 years now, and she still holds this against me. There is not that much that I can do right in this woman’s eyes. She is also incredibly needy. She is a widow who lives alone and my husband is her only child. I do feel for her, but she makes it almost impossible for me to have kind feelings for her. She is always complaining or whining and is incredibly negative in her outlook. To top it off, my husband does not have a great relationship with her either but feels it is our duty to have her out on holiday every year. So he doesn’t even really want her there! Our last holiday was a disaster with her telling my husband exactly what it is she thinks of me (and it wasn’t that good). None of us have fun when she is around – it is just a huge chore.

Now I would like to feel kind thoughts towards her, and I do have compassion for her on an intellectual level – but I just can’t feel it in my heart – as I said I just feel DREAD. I just wish she wasn’t coming. So my question is how can I get through this two weeks without feeling completely wound up all the time. I am tired of my holiday being ruined every year. And i understand that it is my thoughts doing this to me. BUT MY MOTHER IN LAW DRIVES ME CRAZY! any words of wisdom appreciated 🙂