How do you survive a visit from an in-law?

drug them, shoot them, pee in their mouth while they sleep, burn their feet till the skin melts together, drill holes in their finger joints, that should be enough to scare them away

Tell them you have an appointment then go shopping or to the coffee shop. If you don’t want to leave the house… I usually say I have a headache and stay in my room and do my own thing.

@iwamoto
I can appreciate the motivation, but I’m not quite ready for those measures yet.

@babygall
I’m trying to stay busy, yesterday she offered to cone with me to the DIY store(oh yaay). But at least on Wednesday and Saturday I do have plans after work :)

Still a struggle to endure Eastenders and resist flipping out over the subtle hints that I’m not getting enough done! Grrr….

Take them to a movie where they can’t talk. Order the largest popcorn and largest soda. That will keep them busy for awhile.

im sure the drilling in the finger joints will happen in a few days, i could make it worse by calling up (using skype ofcourse, don’t want to spend too much money) and just whispering “drill, you must drill” of just the sound of a drill….you’ll be going nuts in no time

Ummm… Beer? If you are going to piss them off. Piss them off properly.

Are they women? Tell them that pedicures are on the house, drop them off at the place and forget that their pickup time was 7:00…

I’m one of those lucky people who never had in laws such as Mother or Father in laws. (They lived too far away, and we never met) I did have a few sister in laws, but I got along fine with them.

I feel for you wildflower. Just go about your schedule as normally as you can and don’t let them get to you.

wildflower: I’m not sure if you want this kind of answer but I’ll give it a go anyway…

What if you used this as an opportunity for growth? What if you took each thing they said that ticked you off and asked yourself how what they said was true? (http://thework.com could be helpful there)

You could switch back and forth between growth and escape, using the other excellent suggestions here when you’re tired of dealing with it. Also, have you talked with your husband about it?

@wildflower, I feel for you. A whole freakin’ week? I’d say someone owes you big time. I’d start with Irish coffee for breakfast, followed by a day of secretly nipping at your favorite bottle. Okay, so I really don’t mean all the drinking, but you know what I mean.

take them somewhere?? MOVIES.. umm make a BBQ.. visit other people..good luck

Read about people whose in-laws suck more.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. The plan for today is to stay late at work and get busy with laundry when I get home…...fingers crossed for minimal interruption.

What do they genuinely like to do? I’d start building itineraries around brief outings that involve focusing on something other than one-on-one conversation and simultaneously get things done – like, going to the Farmer’s Market together to get ingredients for dinner, assembling your loose photos into photo albums, or having them help you pick out a gift for Father’s Day.

Who knows, maybe through a little exposure to a different dynamic, you’ll find out a little more about them -which will allow for you to plan for next time they visit.

That’s a really good idea figbash. I suppose the main obstacle is that I still have to get to work every day, so we only have afternoon/evenings and she’s not big on going out at night – although come the weekend, my husband’s taking her up to visit some family (while I’m heading off to see Bon Jovi with a friend – woo hoo!)

Kill em with kindness, and just smile and nod. They will respect you for your kindness :*)

@themherme, I have to admit, I’ve always been fond of the kill them kindness routine. Always makes you look like the better person.

I haven’t snapped yet! Who would’ve thought those years as a customer relations agent could be so beneficial in mastering the smile-and-nod technique.

I’ve got 5 days starting tonight… I don’t think drinking the whole time is a possibilty, but it is tempting….