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DISHIN IT OUT WITH MADGE
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from Salem Monthly, Section Opinion - Dishin it out with Madge
Posted on Thu Jun 30, 2005 at 08:09:50 PM PDT

Dear Madge,
I am getting married, and I read in all the books that the two families are supposed to get together...
Our families have met once and only for a minute, but they already hate each other. How do we get these two families together in a civilized manner?
One Big Happy Family

Dear Happy Family,
Weddings always bring out the best in everyone. Your best choice here is to draw up an elaborate lie. Talk to your parents alone. Explain to them that you don’t really like his parents either. They’re awful people and you would like nothing more than to never see them again. Just one minor problem, they ADORE you.

So please, mom and dad, can you, for my sake, pretend that you like them so that they don’t stop liking me and make my life a nightmare? (Insert whiny voice and puppy dog eyes here.)

It’s hard for parents to hate anyone that adores their child. Next, ask your husband-to-be to have the same conversation with his parents. Hopefully, everyone can be faux-nice to one another in the name of the children. And in time, faux-nice just might turn into nice-nice.

Madge is not a psychologist, nor does she have any training whatsoever in relationship therapy. She is a saucy, Southern gal who dishes out no-nonsense advice. If you would like to ask Madge a question, e-mail madge@salemmonthly.com.

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