THE PBOBLEM: How does a daughter-in-law support her husband without rocking the family boat?

摘要

I'm 38, married for the second time to Richard, a widower, a farmer, and a wonderful man. He's 49. He has two teenage sons and I have a daughter, 12. Richard has five siblings, and his parents are still alive. Together they own a large farm and dairyoperation that's been in the family for three generations. We hoped our prenuptial agreement would ease their minds but also assumed his family would take time to accept me. We underestimated! Richard has been withdrawn from his family since his first wife died. He doesn't stand up for himself on business issues. We've had serious talks about it. He finally asked me to go with him to farm meetings for support. After a few frustrating meetings (where I could already tell I wasn't welcome), I began speaking up for him. Unwelcoming turned into hostile.