When I was a kid, I was constantly hearing from my parents and every other adult about how annoying in-laws were. I always thought, what could be so bad about your significant other’s family? I wondered, could they really be that annoying? I was very skeptical of this, for some reason. I couldn’t wait to meet a guy and get a second family of my own. It sounded great!

These naive feelings lasted until I started dating a guy who had one of the most annoying families ever. Suddenly, I understood why everyone complained about their in-laws. It’s one thing to be stuck with your own sometimes annoying family, but it’s an entirely different thing to be stuck with a family that you don’t even have to be stuck to. At least your family is flesh and blood! 

Okay, so not every other family is annoying. I’m sure there are plenty of in-laws or soon-to-be in-laws out there who are perfectly lovely. But if you’re dating someone who happens to have the kind of family members that make you bite your tongue, there is help. Here are some tips on how to deal with your boyfriend’s family, from the pain in the butt little brother to the over-protective mom:

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The Over-Protective Mom

Ugh, over-protective moms are the WORST. JK, not really. Dating a momma's boy can be a challenge because you constantly feel like you're competing with his mom... which is just plain weird. To deal with her overbearing-ness, start by trying to include her once in things once in a while, like eating dinner with her or watching a movie. There's not much you can say to the mom without coming off as kind of a jerk, so if she's really bugging you, talk to your BF about it nicely. He's the one who needs to tell her to back off, not you.

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The Creepy Dad

Or the creepy uncle or grandpa... whatever fits. The creepy dad is always checking you out, flirting with you or making inappropriate comments. If things get super comfortable, don't hesitate to say something to your boyfriend about it. And if the dude gets really weird, you can absolutely say something to him - just a polite, but strong, "please don't talk to me that way" is fine. The only other thing I can tell you is to avoid him as much as possible and don't giggle at his "jokes." That will only encourage the creepster.

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The Annoying Little Brother

You know those brothers that spend most of their time either spying on you and your BF or following you guys all over the place? Yup, that's this guy. Deal with him by actually giving him some attention - if he wants to hang out with you guys all the time, let him do it some of the time and get on his good side. Then, when you want to be alone with your BF, ask him nicely if he can leave you guys alone or suggest he go play with his friends. I know it's tempting to be mean, but doing that is probably just going to make things awkward.

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The Bratty Older Sister

Maybe she's just rude in general or maybe she's feeling protective of her little brother - either way, dealing with an older sis who is constantly nasty isn't fun. How to deal? Kill her with kindness and be the bigger person. Yeah, it's annoying, but maybe one day she'll come around.

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The Mean People

It's a huge bummer if your boyfriend's family is just plain mean. The best thing I can tell you is to not take them too seriously and to just ignore them. Don't spend time with them if they're rude to you, and definitely feel like you can talk to your BF about it. You can be mean back if you really want, but that might eventually put a wedge between you and your BF. Continue to be polite, but don't feel like you have to try too hard.

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The Weirdos

Maybe your boyfriend's family is a little on the odd side. It might be weird to you, but to them, it may be totally normal. The only thing you can do here is to embrace their weirdness. Don't hate on them for doing things you think are strange - plus, sometimes weird people are the best people. Seriously.

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The Ones Who Just Don't Like You

Unfortunately, we're not all going to be liked by everyone. Why doesn't his family like you? I don't know, girl. It's a major sad face moment, but it happens to all of us at some point. If his family seems to be against you for some reason, talk to your BF about it to find out if you ever did something they didn't like. If so, make sure to apologize or make it clear that you want to move past that. Try to get to know them better without being too over-eager. Always be nice and polite... don't give them another reason to dislike you.

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In the end, keep this in mind: you really can’t change your boyfriend’s family. They are who they are! The best thing you can do is learn how to deal with them and accept that they might sometimes annoy you. Remember: you’re dating your boyfriend, not his family. If he’s worth it, then that’s all that matters.

Have you ever had to deal with a boyfriend’s annoying family? How did you do it? What kind of family members did I miss? Tell me in the comments.

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