The dilemma My boyfriend strongly dislikes my family and I dont know what to do about it. He and I have been together for eight months now and Ive really fallen for him. We have a great relationship, but there is this recurring problem to do with our different backgrounds. I come from a fairly well-off family and were very close. Were not excessively wealthy, but we have been blessed with a comfortable upbringing. This is in stark contrast to my boyfriends family. They never had a lot of money, his parents went through an ugly divorce when he was growing up and now he doesnt have a good relationship with them. My parents live abroad so my boyfriend has only met them twice, but both times we have travelled to see them and then stayed for a while, so it has been pretty intense for him. Since then he has admitted he just doesnt like my parents. I love him and dont want to lose him. Im worried about how this could impact on our future.
Mariella replies Youre right to be concerned not that your boyfriend needs to enter into a lovefest with your parents for you to stick together. Hed be a rare find indeed were he to declare unadulterated delight in his in-laws. Youd probably need to check his alcohol levels or psychiatric history. The unfortunate truth is that most mature adults find their own parents annoying, let alone their partners. Liking and tolerating are two entirely separate sentiments.
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