Mother-In-Law Does Not Appreciate Dinner

Dear Dr. Dave and Dr. Dee,

I've lost about 20 pounds, which was my goal. But, my stomach area is still flabby. I do stomach crunches, so what more can I do?

Dear Dr. Dave and Dr. Dee,

My mother-in-law visits us every Sunday for dinner. The problem is she never likes what I make. I have tried many different recipes, but there is no pleasing her and she openly criticizes in a nice way. While she's here, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen preparing the meal so that she and my husband can visit with each other. My mother-n-law has never even thanked us for having her for dinner. My husband doesn't understand why this upsets me.

Signed,

Stewing

Dear Stewing,

Even if your mother-in-law dislikes the meal, it is very disrespectful to be anything other than gracious and appreciative of your efforts.

Here are some solutions:

1. Take her out to dinner.

2. Have your husband help you prepare the meal during her visits, so he can empathize with you.

3. Have your husband prepare the dinner ahead of time. When your mother-in-law complains about the dinner, you can nicely mention that your husband prepared the meal.

4. Your husband should nicely say something to his mother about how her comments hurt you. She probably already knows this, but being called on it by her son may help change her behavior.

5. Realize that your mother-in-law will not change, so your attitude must. Feel sorry for her. Someone with that much hostility is an unhappy person.