Bad in-laws?

I thought I had pretty good relationship with my FIL until I was informed he's been telling my fiance not to put any more money into our wedding because we "won't last". I guess he thinks I'm a good person, just doesn't think we'll actually get married. My fiance and I have been dating for 2.5 years and it will be 3.5 by the time we're wed...we aren't "rushing" into it. There are other financial things that irk me, but knowing we don't have family support is definitely a huge bummer. I haven't seen him since I found this out, but I have found myself avoiding him now too. Do I confront him (and possibly make trouble between him and my fiance since my fiance told me), do I pretend everything is fine, or do I just continue doing what I'm doing and distancing myself from him?

Replies

  • Frag_Bunny
    Frag_Bunny Posts: 39 Member
    I would confront him, but in a very calm and polite way. Now I am just saying what I would do, as I am a person that thinks it's better to lay it out on the table and be honest...I don't really ever act one way to someone and then think something different f them. So only approach him if you are comfortable, or even get your fiance to do it with you, as it is HIS father. I think if you both go to him calmly and just address the situation as adults (have him voice his opinion, calmly explain your love for each other ect) You might be able to find out whats going on there. Just when you approach, DO NOT go on the attack and say things like YOU SAID THIS, YOU DID THAT and have a temper about it. That will immediately shut him down and put him into defensive mode where he will not hear a thing you are saying. Take some time with your fiance to discuss this and see if you do want to approach, and if you do, plan a head of time what to say and how.
  • serena569
    serena569 Posts: 427 Member
    If your fiance is ignoring it and still helping with the planning, I would ignore it. My bigger question would be where did you hear this? If it was from your fiance, why would he tell you something so hurtful. If it was from someone else, what are the motives of that person and what do they have to gain by telling you?
  • If your fiance is ignoring it and still helping with the planning, I would ignore it. My bigger question would be where did you hear this? If it was from your fiance, why would he tell you something so hurtful. If it was from someone else, what are the motives of that person and what do they have to gain by telling you?

    I heard it from my fiance. We were talking wedding stuff and trying to figure out where we were getting money from and how money was being allocated. He said, "My dad isn't paying us a dime until he sees us walk down the aisle." and I said, "Um, okay? That's fine." (because we are planning our wedding based on what WE can afford-any monetary contributions from our family will be helpful, but not necessary-and more than likely just saved for a downpayment on a house anyway). He must have been a little upset because he then muttered, "He doesn't think we'll get that far." I'm not exactly sure what it was he muttered, because I had to say, "What?" and got the "Nothing..." response. Since I had THOUGHT I heard what was above I kept on asking him what was wrong, why he gets so upset about the wedding every time he sees his dad (which is true, he'll spend a few days with his dad and comes home wanting to completely change everything about the wedding). He finally said his dad doesn't want to pay us any money for the wedding until after the license is signed because he doesn't think we'll stay together to get to that point and doesn't want to "waste" his money. I think it bothers my fiance more than it bothers me, because he then spent a good amount of time trying to tell me that although his dad didn't have faith in us he did, and his faith in us and my faith in us is all that matters. To be honest, I could care less what his dad thought of me-I just don't know how to act towards him. I've been told by some people to kill him with kindness and take away any type of ammunition he may have against me.

    I'm hesitant to confront his dad because his dad has always been really nice and supportive to my face. To bring up anything otherwise would be an admission that my fiance told me what was said. I don't know what type of "unwritten rules" there are between them, and I'd hate for me clearing the air to cause a huge rift between father and son. But I also know it's really hard for me to be nice to somebody I know is being two faced. It's a horrible cycle as we smile and make nice in person, but once in private talk about how horrendous everything/everyone is.
  • Well, I guess I don't need to figure out how to act anymore. I had removed him from my friends list a while back, and this resulted in a myriad of names being thrown at me. After his little "speech" he gave my fiance about why I was a horrible person, he said he wanted nothing to do with me, and I was to stay far away from him because I was no longer welcome to be around him. All of this was said to my fiance; he never once tried talking to me about it. He was deleted from my friends list to begin with because he was making trouble/drama by blowing things out of proportion to my fiance (who doesn't have FB) so when I'd get home my fiance would be mad at me for things I "did on Facebook" even though he couldn't give me a specific example of what I did wrong.