how to impress your in-laws

When you get married, you gain a second family: the in-laws. Regardless of the negative stigma that in-laws have gotten over the years, these people are usually wonderful. After all, your husband's parents raised him to be the amazing man who you fell in love with and decided to spend the rest of your life with. You will probably find that his core values were established in his upbringing. Still, impressing the in-laws can be a daunting challenge. You want to project the best possible image of yourself because you want them to understand why their son loves you as much as he does.
You know that his family will be a major part of your life now -- and you don't want to do anything to give them a bad impression of you. When you are really nervous and anxious about how you will be perceived, you tend to act less like yourself, and you can seem stiff and uncomfortable or unapproachable. It's almost like a job interview -- you are so tense that you can't be as friendly or funny as you normally are.
The best way to combat the in-law jitters is to be confident that you are prepared to impress them. It might seem strange to prepare for this type of thing, but if you have a plan in mind, then you will be less preoccupied by the anxiety, and more able to relax and be yourself. Here are a few ways to impress the in-laws:

1. Compliments. Who doesn't love to hear great things about themselves? Well, your in-laws are no exception. Remember, they are human beings. Tell them how lovely their home is. Compliment your mother-in-law on her baking skills, or your father-in-law for his barbecue mastery. Let them know how happy you are to join their beautiful family. Let them know how much you love their son, and how you can see where he got his morals or sense of humor or creativity from. Honestly, they are nervous too. They want you to like them, so giving them compliments is a great way to let them know that you are impressed with them. The most important thing here is honesty. Your compliments should be genuine and should come from the heart. You don't want to risk seeming insincere.

2. Prepare a home-cooked meal. Your husband's parents want to see that the two of you have created a home together, and a healthy and delicious homemade dinner always creates a warm and comforting family atmosphere.
Set the table nicely -- break out the cloth napkins and the new napkin rings that you got for your wedding!
Play some light music -- something instrumental is always nice in the background. Try to get some information from your husband about his parents’ favorite meals, and wine preferences. They will be very impressed by your heartfelt gesture, especially if you have prepared some of their favorite dishes. Put out some fresh flowers.
Have tea and coffee on hand to serve with dessert -- and make sure you have decaf, just in case -- a great hostess is a prepared host!

3. Take an interest in them. What do they do for fun?
If your mother-in-law loves reading classic novels, ask her if you could borrow one of her favorite books, and then have a lunch to talk about it. If she knits, ask if she would be willing to teach you. You could knit a scarf for your husband -- that will get you double points, because it will show that you are nurturing too.
If your father-in-law likes jig-saw puzzles, bring one over the next time you visit. They will be glad to have the opportunity to build your relationship, and the closer all of you become, the less nervous you will be about impressing them.

4. Show them the best side of you and your husband as a married couple. When you are spending time with his parents, it is not the time to discuss any uncomfortable topics, such as finances or politics. The last thing that you want to do is argue in front of them. Of course, all couples have their debates, but they should never interrupt a dinner with the in-laws. Be polite and loving towards each other... that should be easy... after all, you DO love each other.

Have a great time impressing and getting to know your in-laws. They are family now, so they should love you for the wonderful person that you are -- and you should do the same for them.