A selfish annoyance towards my in-laws

I'm a private person who enjoys her space and likes to be alone. I'm not one to wear my heart on my sleeve, talk about my feelings, or beg others to tell me theirs. I married into a family that is all of the above and it's annoying. I married my husband and we lived hundreds of miles from either of our families and it was fine. Well... I was fine. Apparently my husband was beginning to miss his family. So, on top of various other reasons to move, we chose to move to the same city that his family lives in. Now, I feel like i'm pulled and prodded constantly to participate in family functions - and i'm expected to enjoy them and want them as much as the rest of them. Cook outs, graduations, funerals, birthdays, anniversaries, births, car crashes, sickness, grandparents, sisters, brothers, best-friends, high school friends, college friends... the list goes on. Call me selfish, but as much as I feel for the next person who has the flu, I don't want to cook you chicken noodle soup. I just don't. I don't want to hug every person as I walk out the door. I don't feel the need to sit around and listen to all the stories of random family member-in-laws who did something funny 20 years ago. I'm happy that someone graduated high school or college, but it doesn't mean I should take a week's worth of my vacation days to celebrate. Call me selfish, but I'd rather tend to my garden and play with my dogs.

 

Yeah, I know what you mean. I used to do that whole thing...just for the sake of peace, then oneday I thought 'Fuck it!' today I'll do what I want to do, and life was better. Secretly I reckon some of the others wished they had the bottle to do the same.

Thing is, my eldest daughter is now on the same merry-go-round, only good thing is they live opposite ends of the country to her partners family...he hates participating too...but every now and then he's summoned to the presence, this weekend being one of those times. Both are dreading the 'good' time that's being set up for them.

I found, the older you get the easier it is to say no. Good luck!

 

My family consists of my mom and my brother....

My fiance's family is like 70 strong, and thats just the local ones who we see on a regular basis.. the out of towners are into the hundreds..

It's very dramatic and she tries to drag me to a lot of the things. sometimes i have to tell her that I just dont feel right..

 

Why does it seem that I have read this before?