My Second Mom and Dad

Family dynamics can be complicated. Grievances, jealousy, misunderstandings, grudges, favorites…the list goes on and on.

And then if you get married, there is suddenly the merging of two families, which can complicate things ten-fold! It's a balancing act to give the same amount of time and attention to everyone, and it's something I struggle with because of my mom. I'm the oldest and the only daughter and the one most in a position to be her main caregiver. I wouldn't have it any other way. But I never want my brothers and sisters-in-law to feel like they're not involved or don't have a say in any decisions that need to be made.

I won the lottery when it comes to the family I joined when we got married. I know some people don't get along with their in-laws, but that is not the case for me. I adore them. Absolutely adore them. They are my second mom and dad and have been since the age of fifteen. They've been so good to me and I'll never be able to repay them for their kindness and generosity.

We are those two families that have merged very successfully. C's parents love my brothers and their wives and over the years, we've spent many Christmas all together at our house. In fact, this past Christmas, while C and I went to London and Paris, they came down from Canada to stay with my mom so she wouldn't be alone. I mean, C's parents are amazing.

They live in Canada and we don't get to see them nearly often enough. They don't get the kind of time with us that my mom does and I feel extremely guilty about that. Today is my father-in-law's birthday and we were able to facetime with him for over an hour and it was awesome. While there are many reasons I'm looking forward to the end of this current craziness, the number one reason is so that we can go to Canada to see them and they can come down here to see us. We miss them so much!

Here's a pic from when the four of us went on a Disney Cruise together three summers ago. On this Framily Friday, I am so grateful to have married into such a wonderful family!

Happy Tails to you!