Annoying In-laws

I have very well meaning in-laws. However, they insist on a few behaviors that I really am "TIRED" of.

1. They insist on calling every weekend, if we don't call them it's the end of the world. We are busy and work long hours, there is not much to report every week and why are we obligated to have to call every week, isn’t 2 weeks ok?

2. When we do call, all they talk about are their ailments, how old they are, when you get to be my age...blah...blah IT’S DEPRESSING. We know you are old, STOP ALREADY.

3. My mother-in-law is constantly talks about how much she paid for everything, she will tell a story about shopping at 3 different stores 10 miles apart to get a can of beans for 3 cents less, and that’s on the phone; in person I get an inventory of her pantry and where she buys everything and how much she saved by buying it in bulk. OK, so everyone has the right to discuss a good deal, but must it be the main topic of conversation? And then, it turns into another conversation on their ailments because they can’t eat certain foods!! COME ON!! Then we move on-to the curtains, rugs, etc, where they were bought, how much they cost and what a good deal they were. Sorry, they do look like they cost 2.95 a panel!!!

4. My husband and his father are not the closest, but I’m constantly put in the middle and asked why. That’s between him and his father, keep me out of it and stop cornering me when we are alone about it, it’s uncomfortable nor matter how many times I say it to them.

I know how each conversation is going to go like clockwork and how long it will take. I really don’t care how much the beans were, and I know you have “the diabetes”.

However, one thing I can say I’ve taken from this is......and I have grown children. I keep the conversations with my kids to; how is your work going, and comments on “that sounds fun” or I may even tell them a new joke I heard. I don’t want to ever become that annoying old person!!