Is Your Son Pulling Away? Get the Real Reasons He May Be Doing So – Part 1 By Deanna Brann, Ph.D. NABBW’s In-law Survival Associate With all the strife occurring with the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, where does your son fit into the equation? Does he play a role or is he a victim of circumstance? The next few articles are going to address these specific questions and help shed some light on who he is and the role he plays. As I write in my book, Reluctantly Related: Secrets to Getting Along with Your Mother-in-Law or Daughter-in-Law, a son needs to emotionally separate from his... Read More

Daughter-in-Law Alert: Is Your Maternal Relationship Actually Hurting Your Marriage? By Deanna Brann, Ph.D. NABBW’s In-law Survival Associate Mothers and daughters have a rather unique relationship. Whether they are close or distant this relationship affects many of the other close relationships a young woman has in her life. As I explain to young women I counsel, “This relationship affects your relationship with your spouse, mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, and can even affect your relationships with your friends.” Having a distant or struggling maternal relationship is the... Read More

Holiday Tips: Discover How to Successfully Create “Those” Memorable Moments with Your Grandchildren   ~~  Without Creating “Those Moments” with Their Parents By Deanna Brann, Ph.D. NABBW’s In-Law Survival Associate With the holidays in full swing, we all are trying our darndest to find those perfect gifts, prepare our homes, and make the season memorable—for us as well as for those we love. But too often, despite our best efforts, the holidays end up being incredibly stressful. Much of this holiday tension comes from those frustrating “family issues” that crop up when we... Read More

Are You Dealing with a Passive-Aggressive Daughter-In-Law? With a Bit of Understanding, You\’ll Soon Discover How to Beat Her at Her Own Game By Deanna Brann, Ph.D. NABBW’s In-Law Survival Associate A person who is passive aggressive in his or her behavior is difficult enough to deal with; when that person is a family member it is even worse. Dealing with this behavior (passive and unassuming on the surface, but nastily aggressive toward you underneath) can be incredibly difficult, draining, and frustrating. For mothers-in-law, dealing with a passive aggressive daughter-in-law can... Read More

Traveling With Family? Make It Memorable, Not Miserable! By Deanna Brann, Ph.D. NABBW’s In-Law Survival Associate Summer’s here and it’s time for vacation! Most of us look forward to getting away all year long, anticipating a break from work, worries, and everyday life. But things can get tricky when we include more than just our immediate family. Whether you’re traveling with in-laws, siblings and their families, or even friends, you want the trip to be one that everyone enjoys. Just because you all know each other well doesn’t mean there won’t be any friction. Visiting with people... Read More

Making Your Grandchildren’s Memories “Grand” – Tips to Remember By Deanna Brann, Ph.D. NABBW’s In-Law Survival Associate Being a grandparent – what a balancing act! How do you find time to carve out a niche that’s all your own at this particular juncture in your life, as well as spend time with your adult children and their spouses, and then, forge your own unique relationship with each of your grandchildren? This is a tricky feat. We want it all, right? And, why not? Our lives have been building to this rewarding point where we have “our” time, family time, and “grandma-grandpa”... Read More

Four Tips for How Not to Sweat the Small Stuff By Deanna Brann, Ph.D. NABBW’s In-Law Survival Associate   How many times has someone in your life—an in-law, spouse, co-worker, friend, or whoever—done something or said something that just makes your blood boil and you can’t seem to let it go? You keep replaying it over and over in your head, and the more you think about it the angrier or more hurt you feel. In fact, you find you can’t stop thinking about it. We all have experienced this at one time or another. Even if you don’t say anything to the other person at the time, his... Read More