The evil sister-in-law can pose big family problems – what’s a family to do when one person comes along and has the power and the inclination to wreck every function she is invited to? Don’t invite her!
Easier said than done when she’s the wife of your brother (she seemed so nice when they were dating). Apparently there are a lot of ‘evil’ sisters-in-law at large out in the world of families – some of them hate the family functions and outings – maybe there are too many or every Sunday doesn’t leave too much weekend time to explore other avenues of entertainment with her hubby. What might start out as a happy family unit can turn over bearing if there is too much closeness and expectations abound if you’re expected to show up at every single gathering.
Often, we hear from the family about the outsider, your brother’s wife, but not so often do we get to hear things from her side. Perhaps one family member could have a heart-to-heart and try to get to the origin of the matter, especially if she wasn’t always a b___.
Has someone in the family made her feel unwelcome, made fun of her, and offended her in some way? Unless she is asked, who’s to really know, especially if her husband isn’t telling.
There are as many different types of sister-in-law problems as there are families that have them. They might come across as ignorant to others needs and are unable to see another’s point of view or way of life as different but OK, from their own. Many people with these characteristics have no desire to participate in group talk or discussion mainly because they’re really unable to contribute anything of value.
One problem not to be tolerated is unwarranted rudeness toward the parents of the son, ever. They bore and raised up her spouse, out of respect for him and his family, she has to refrain from treating them with nastiness and disrespect. This type of behavior must be addressed sooner than later, not sugar-coated – get in her face about her nastiness and what effect it has on the entire family.
She then can choose to refrain, change, or retreat from family gatherings altogether so the family can continue to enjoy the company of each other.
Often people are unaware of how they are seen by others – bring her behavior to her attention, make a united stand and she will either have an attitude adjustment and change, or fade away. A win-win solution either way, I think.