Husband expects me to talk to in laws every other day
My husband and I have been married just over a year now. We stay in the states but his parents live in a different country. Heads up, he’s a momma’s boy, always has been, and talks to his mom every morning and night. I don’t have a problem with it as long as his mother isn’t interfering in our marriage in some way. Tbh his parents are nice people so I don’t have those concerns.
My issue is that both my husband and his parents expect me to also talk to them often. The first few months after the wedding, they were expecting me to call them every other day at least and hubby and I had several fights about it as well. I think the expectations dropped after a while because I was really not okay with that. But recently, I visited them in their home country and spent about 10 days with them alone. They were perfectly fine and we got along well except for a couple of times that they tried to tell me what to wear, to be more religious, control my eating habits, etc. Normally that’s not something I would tolerate but I was only there for a couple of days and I didn’t want to make a fuss. Anyway, after returning home, my husband and his parents again expect me to call more often. Last week, my husband told me he feels bad that I don’t talk to his parents more often because it makes them so happy, and if I just talk once a week, that’s more than enough as well. So I spoke to them over the past weekend. Then last night, he was on a video call with his mom and I had a terrible headache and was getting very annoyed so I really didn’t feel like talking to anyone so I sat outside in the living room while he spoke. He called me inside after the call was over and asked why I was outside, to which I said I really didn’t want to talk. He got mad about it and has given me the cold shoulder since then.
Im annoyed for 3 reasons:
- he asked me to talk to his parents once a week and I did that but now that it looks like I’m listening to his requests, it seems like he just expects more from me (like talking to them last night even though I spoke to them just 2 days ago).
- despite me telling him that he needs to communicate to me if something is bothering him when it happens and not just suppress it so he can explode later for a different reason, he’s still doing the same thing. He’s just keeping it in and giving me the cold shoulder instead of acting like an adult and telling me what bothered him and why. We’ve had that conversation multiple times over the past year and it seems to have made no difference in how he acts.
- he had offered to drive me to a dental procedure today which he flaked on at the last minute. He didn’t absolutely need to but if he had, at least I wouldn’t need to worry about getting into an accident because of some complication.
p.s. I know this issue sounds petty but let me put it this way: I don’t call my own parents for weeks sometimes and they don’t call me either unless there’s a reason. They also don’t expect him to call them often and neither do I. In fact, I don’t call anyone very often unless there’s a reason and most people in my life are the same way. So him talking to his parents twice a day everyday is odd to me but I recognize that’s just who he is. I don’t understand why he can’t recognize that this is just how I was raised and leave me be as well.
I appreciate any advice or comments all of you have.
@neonSummer8296
It sounds like you're dealing with a difficult situation, and it's understandable that you're feeling frustrated and annoyed. It's not fair for him to expect you to have the same level of communication with his parents as he does, especially if it's not something that comes naturally to you.
It's also concerning that his parents were trying to control your behaviour during your visit with them. It's important for you and your husband to discuss how to handle situations like this in the future and how to establish healthy boundaries with his parents.
It's important for him to communicate with you in a mature and respectful way when he's feeling upset or bothered by something. Giving you the cold shoulder is not a healthy way to handle the situation, and it's not fair for him to expect you to read his mind. If necessary, consider seeking the help of a couples therapist to work through these issues and improve your communication and relationship. I wish you the best of luck in navigating this situation ❤️