Becoming a Parent-in-law - a life transition
By Dan and Mari Greenwood
Relating Health Check for Parents
You are invited to write about the following statements, and if appropriate discuss them in confidence with your spouse or friend or counsellor.
1. I believe that friendship with the young couple is important for both the older and the younger people
2. The friendship I have in mind includes:
3. I believe that I have a well-established ‘adult-with-adult’ friendship with
- my son or daughter......
- each of my sons/daughters
- some of my sons/daughters
or maybe this is not so
4. I believe that my spouse has a well-established ‘adult-with-adult’ friendship with
- my son or daughter......
- each of my sons/daughters
- some of my sons/daughters
or maybe this is not so
5. I believe that I have a growing friendship with each of our young in-laws (or future in-laws)
6. I believe that my partner has a growing friendship with each of our young in-laws
7. If some of these things are not so, do you consider that it matters?
Does it matter to them? or to you?
8. Do you know what the ‘roadblocks’ are?
Yours?
Theirs?
How might it be possible for these to be removed?
If that is not possible, how might you accept, live with, and perhaps pray about, these blocks?
Who might help you with this?
9. What do you enjoy most in these relationships?
10. Have you any hopes, dreams, ideas about the future?
11. Are there some things you find stressful? What helps you to deal with these?
12. People hold strong views about
- Rights
- Responsibilities
- Expectations
How might these affect family relationships?