Stephanie Pfriender Stylander
You thought you were accepting his proposal, not his families'. Fortunately, a recent study by Carolyn M. Prentice, Ph.D. offers hope for those trying to blend two families together. According to Prentice, different conversational styles and ways of using humor may be a major source of tension among two families. To help ease this shift into a new family, she recommends looking at conflicts with your future in-laws in terms of different communication patterns. So the next time your fiance's mother offers another "helpful" critique, realize that she's not being insulting—she's just trying to communicate!—Kathryn Papanek
