Protecting Your Marriage: Negative Talk

We have all been around people that talk negatively about their spouse. It’s not good and usually makes everyone else uncomfortable. What happens if your family of origin talks negatively about your spouse? How does that affect you and how does it affect your spouse? I have talked to people that never felt accepted by their in laws. I have talked to other people that never heard anything positive about their spouse from their family. I get that people can get protective of their adult child, but bashing a son or daughter in law will always cause issues.

So what do you do if you are in this position? What do you do if your in laws are talking negatively about you? First, be aware of what you can and you cannot do. You cannot control them or what they say. You can ask them to quit. You can say, “we cannot be around you until this stops.” You can offer to go to counseling with them to work through any issues. You cannot continue to put your spouse or yourself in this position. It in no way honors your marriage.

As we talk about with other issues, the key is the two of you standing united together and prayerfully dealing with this. Pray for God’s wisdom and for His healing and for His guidance as you confront this issue.