Family Ties

I spent this weekend with Al's family.

Well, one half of his family.

Mark one in the divorce column.

First, my in-laws (Al's dad and step-mom) are really great people. A few years ago, when I first met them, they opened their home and lives to met within 10 minutes. They have been supportive and loving from day one and I couldn't really ask for much better.

Problem is, there is some strain in the extended family. Obviously, in divorce there are some people who are forced to "pick sides" and that often hurts some of the familial relationships.

Out of respect for the family (mostly my future husband), I won't get into the details, but I have to get a little of the frustration out of my system.

I don't play games. I don't talk about people behind their back.

I don't bullshit or beat around the bush.

And I will not let other people's childish games ruin my holidays, family get-togethers or my wedding. I prefer to be surrounded by supportive people who act like grown-ups.

I fear that this will be unavoidable unless we make some difficult decisions. Like cutting people from the football roster, or firing someone in the workplace. It's never easy and always sucks, but usually totally necessary. Just like poor athletes and bad co-workers poison morale, negative and immature people bring down the mood of celebratory occasions.

So, we've got some decisions to make. We have to decide who we want involved in our holidays and, more importantly, in our big day. Because that day is about us, and anyone who doesn't like that can see themselves to the door.