For many people, in-law relationships are quite tricky to navigate. In fact, a 2022 research article revealed that men and women in the United States reported more conflict with their mothers-in-law than their own mothers.
But this isn’t always the case. Others live harmoniously with the families they married into. Some even form unique bonds, many of which are captured in these photos. A lot of these are shared moments of everyday life, from adorable quirks to memorable Christmas gifts.
If you have a pleasant relationship with your in-laws, these images may warm your heart and put a smile on your face.
#1 My Mother-In-Law Was Visiting Us For Three Weeks, Leaving My Father-In-Law 2,000 Miles Away To Fend For Himself. He Sent Her These Flowers After A Week
Image credits: GavinWakeUpCall
#2 Mother-In-Law Just Served Me This Piece Of Cake
Image credits: SaltyDogBiscuit
#3 Husband Calls Me Yeti Because My Feet Are Always Cold. My Mother-In-Law Got Me These. I Love This Family
Image credits: vettechrockstar86
Statistics show that conflict in relationships with in-laws is more common among women. A 2022 BBC report shared a study by psychologist Terri Apter, pointing out that 60% of women admitted to experiencing “long-term unhappiness and stress” because of their ties with female in-laws.
Two-thirds of women also believed their mothers-in-law “exhibited jealous maternal love towards their son.” And out of the 75% of the couples that reported issues with an in-law, only 15% involved men and their mothers-in-law.
#4 We Left Our Dog Bruno With Our Sister-In-Law While We Went On Vacation. I Guess Someone Is Having A Better Time Than We Are
Image credits: dentista82
#5 I Asked My Mother-In-Law If She Checked On My Dog While I Was At Work, I Got This Picture As A Reply
Image credits: DwarfWarrior17
#6 My Brother-In-Law Was So Proud Of The Shelves He Built
Image credits: TR3KS_
#7 My Father-In-Law Is A "Big, Tough Farmer"
Image credits: eaa513
#8 My Brothers-In-Law Showed Up For My Sister-In-Law's Wedding Like This. I Married Well
Image credits: tianan
But what could be the reason behind these strained relationships? According to a Finnish study, child-rearing is one of the root causes. Tension is common between young married couples with children, and it supposedly begins after the birth of their firstborn.
According to the study, most of these conflicts happen because the child's birth causes grandparents to "influence and interfere in the lives of other family members."
#9 Sister-In-Law Orders A Japanese Whiskey For Me Every Christmas. I Don’t Think She Read The Description This Time When She Shipped Me A $50 Bottle Of Soy Sauce
Image credits: Whippity
#10 My Sister-In-Law Just Posted This. She Told My Brother, "Use Those DIY Books And Fix The Chair", Done
Image credits: jtmonkey
#11 My Mother-In-Law Keeps Complaining That Her Kindle Won't Charge
Image credits: gumball_Jones
#12 Sister-In-Law Got Married, This Is The Second She Realized She Got BBQ Sauce On Her Dress. Hubby Still Golden
Image credits: tuscabam
#13 My Sister-In-Law Got Steve Buscemi Leggings For Christmas
Image credits: deepsouthsloth
A few experts spoke to NPR in 2022 and listed five common issues that people face with their spouse’s family, the first one being having nitpicky in-laws. New York-based therapist and writer Moraya Seeger DeGeare advises being open-minded and finding a compromise. Her top tip is to just say “thank you.”
“If someone is genuinely trying to be helpful, responding with snarky comments is not a great way to foster a relationship. Just say thank you and continue to go about your day.
#14 How My Irish Mother-In-Law Makes An Apple Tart
Image credits: xstellax
#15 Mother-In-Law Found Out I Was Spending The Night. I'm The First Man In The House In A While
Image credits: bulletpyton
#16 My Lumberjack Brother-In-Law First Time In Finland Making An Ice Hole
Image credits: Kampanius
#17 My Father-In-Law Labels All His Plants
Image credits: canhazreddit
#18 Getting Ready For My In-Laws To Visit
Image credits: stubbornmoose
#19 Father-In-Law Just Sent Me This From Vegas, Mother-In-Law Told Him, "We Loved The Fast And The Furious"
Image credits: mntnman38
#20 Rearranged The In-Laws' "Believe" Blocks And No One Has Noticed
Image credits: johnnys_bug
#21 My Mother-In-Law And Her Sister Are Visiting From Brazil And Have Never Seen Snow Before And Their Excitement Is Adorable
Image credits: stefan715
#22 In-Laws Live Next To Us, Wife Ran Out Of Baking Powder. This Is How My Mother-In-Law Sent Me Back Home
Image credits: Heretogetaltered
#23 It’s Important To Me That The People Of Social Media Know That My Mother-In-Law Crocheted Her Grandcat A Couch
Image credits: ThisIsTheOnly
#24 Father-In-Law Does This Every Year. Even Though His Daughter (My Partner) Is Now 26
Image credits: deathcastle
One common cause of fights between married couples is the in-laws who want every holiday spent with them. According to DeGeare, a 50-50 split may not always work, especially if the two sides of the family live far apart.
Instead, she advises compromising with your spouse. The worst-case scenario would be spending the holidays with just one side of the family this year and then switching things up the next year.
"It becomes a sore spot when someone's not there, and people don't know why. Tell your family you're going to try something new this year, and if it doesn't work, we can try something different next year."
#25 Brother-In-Law Made These. I Took A Bite Expecting A Hot Dog. They're Donuts
Image credits: Kataclysm
#26 Sister-In-Law Enjoys Dressing Up Her Dogs
Image credits: dangitsjake3
#27 My Brother-In-Law Asked Me To Make Him This Scene From The Exorcism For Christmas Last Year. All Freehand
Image credits: Decidedly-Undecided
#28 When Your Father-In-Law Wins A Christmas Costume Contest With Trailer Park Santa
Image credits: Klem54
#29 My Wife, Sister-In-Law, And I Were The Witches From Hocus Pocus
Image credits: FestusGodley
#30 My Russian In-Laws Bought My Newborn An Outfit. Not Even Remotely Surprised
Image credits: dsphilly
#31 This Is My Father-In-Law. He Fell Asleep Next To A Kangaroo
Image credits: samthor
#32 My Brother-In-Law Said: Why Does The Bunny Rabbit With The Walker Have -6?
Image credits: bazzer66
#33 My Sister-In-Law Asked The Balloon Guy For A Beer
Image credits: throwin_boehs
Unannounced drop-ins are another issue between in-laws. The situation becomes more problematic when the spouse’s parents deliberately cross these boundaries, which ultimately strains the relationship.
If you’re in this situation, DeGeare advises drawing the line but doing so respectfully. She also shared a short script, in case you’re having trouble going about it:
"I love being able to live close to you and that you have a relationship with your grandchildren. But I'm feeling uncomfortable with how [often] you show up here [unannounced]. In the future, could you shoot me a quick text and let me know you're on your way?"
#34 I Asked My Brother-In-Law For Help Taking Pictures Of My Cream Puffs
Image credits: kellyfacee
#35 My Sister And Brother-In-Law Gave My Wife And I A Date Night Wallet Filled With Gift Cards For Local Dates. Best Wedding Gift To Give If You Can
Image credits: SoDakZak
#36 Had Sparklers At My Wedding Reception Last Night. I Think They Won Over My Father-In-Law
Image credits: coolhandlucas
#37 Life With In-Laws
Image credits: eff_yeah_steph
#38 This Is Hilarious
Image credits: AtsukoComedy
#39 My Mother-In-Law Made All The Men In Our Family A Pair Of These Sleep Pants For Christmas
Image credits: KyleRichXV
Continuing on drawing boundaries, a usual problem in this vein involves politics talk. If you’re the type who loves to debate on this specific topic, you may spark tension.
In this case, author R. Eric Thomas advises taking a step back and agreeing to disagree, especially with in-laws who are button-pushers. It can be as simple as politely declining to speak about a specific topic. He also reminds us of the importance of standing one’s ground when necessary.
"Sometimes we let people in our family get a pass in a way that we wouldn't let other people. But we don't owe our family members more of ourselves to the detriment of ourselves."
#40 In-Law Antics
Image credits: Parkerlawyer
#41 My Sister-In-Law Asked Me To Do This To A Picture Of Her Kids
Image credits: riceisright56
#42 My Mother-In-Law Was Complaining That She Couldn't Get The Coffee Grinder To Work. This Is A Pencil Sharpener
Image credits: YabbaDabbaDoofus
#43 My Air Force Brother-In-Law Is Coming Home For The Birth Of His Son/My Nephew. I'm Picking Him Up From The Airport
Image credits: Arcadius989
#44 Clogged The Toilet And My Mother-In-Law Digs Up This Plunger From The Basement. What The
Image credits: pass_the_hot_sauce
So, how do you keep a healthy relationship with your in-laws? Happywivesclub.com posted this question on its Facebook page, focusing on people who are on good terms with their spouse’s families. 500 people responded, but here are their top answers:
User Tristan Roszkowski mentioned an essential factor many seem to forget: patience. Like all relationships, establishing a bond with an in-law requires time and effort.
“You may be very different people, and it takes TIME to look at the world from another person’s viewpoint with love. Don’t give up. Always be kind. Give it time.”
#45 Today Is My Wife’s Birthday. My Mother-In-Law Just Dropped Off Some Party Supplies For Later. My Wife Is Turning 39
Image credits: SunknLiner
#46 Every Year, My In-Laws Do A Thanksgiving Potato Peeling Contest. Winner Gets To Keep The Trophy Till Next Year
Image credits: mmeestro
#47 I Saw This Review While Searching For A Cheap Car Battery
Image credits: Bottomsup99
#48 Sent My Brother-In-Law Some Homemade Jam, And He Sent Me This Picture In Return
Image credits: emmau5
Some people initially experience friction with their in-laws. User Jenny Campbell went through that difficult phase but approached the situation with kindness.
“When I realized that they didn’t dislike me, they just would miss their son, it all changed,” she wrote. “Respect, honesty and common courtesy goes a long way. Eventually, the F.E.A.R (false evidence appearing real) goes away, guards are dropped and you realize you’re now an extended family – not a discontinuation of one.”
#49 An Actual Conversation My Brother-In-Law And His Girlfriend Just Had
Image credits: theOG-Larrymenta
#50 House Sitting For My Brother And Sister-In-Law
Image credits: OneMillionJennifers
#51 The Comedy Goldmine That Is My In-Laws
Image credits: momsense_ensues
#52 My Brother-In-Law Doing His Fantasy Football Draft In His HS Football Uniform (And Helmet). He’s 33
Image credits: BachelorTrainwreck
#53 I'm As White As They Come. I Just Married Into An Italian Family. Here Is My Father-In-Law's Speech, Teaching Me Italian 101
Image credits: Nemesis2772
Likewise, some marriages continue to have a divide between the two sides of the family. Barbara Rocco Adams strongly advises against it, even in the smallest ways, like word choice.
“We never differentiate between ‘YOUR family’ or ‘MY family.’ It’s always OUR family from the day we were married. We love and respect each other’s parents, and they love and respect us. We laugh, love, and support each other as much as we can.”
#54 My American Brother-In-Law Drying His Kettle
Image credits: bartharris
#55 My Brother-In-Law Made His Cat A Maze Today From Office Boxes
Image credits: MrSquiggle
#56 My Daughter And Mother-In-Law Have The Same Birthday, So They Spent The Day As Dinos At The Local Park
Image credits: nicolaa11
#57 Children Always Tell The Truth
Image credits: daddysdigest
#58 My Sister And Brother-In-Law Took Maternity Photos
Image credits: PartyRooster
#59 Stand Down Everyone. My Brother And Sister-In-Law Have Already Won Halloween
Image credits: simontucker1979
#60 Father-In-Law Wore This To His Radiation Treatment Today
Image credits: and_Dez
#61 Helped My Elderly Mother-In-Law Clean Up Her iPad During A Visit This Weekend
Image credits: jnolta
#62 Wrote A Yelp Review For My Father-In-Law
Image credits: SteelToedSocks
#63 My Mother-In-Law Gets Me
Image credits: AdAdditional7542
#64 Got Engaged Over The Weekend. Future Mother-In-Law Got Us An Extremely Sarcastic Sounding Cake
Image credits: FaceItTigger
#65 Sister Started Knitting And My Brother-In-Law Wore The Hat She Made
Image credits: fandabbydosy
#66 My Husband Had Back Surgery, So My Sister-In-Law Brought Him Flowers
Image credits: queenofswanland
#67 My Mother-In-Law Got Us A Gift Card
Image credits: Cinemairwaves
#68 Mother-In-Law Ordered A Photo Blanket For Us
Image credits: CharlotteGrayson
#69 Just Realized How Meaningful My Conversations With My Mother-In-Law Are
Image credits: kiddsky
#70 Brother-In-Law Got A Scan Of His Baby Put In A Bauble. It Looks Like They’ve Been Imprisoned In The Phantom Zone
Image credits: instantlyforgettable
English (US) ·