Do your parents hang out with your in laws?

[2024namechange]

Last year my parents moved to near where me and my in laws live. Ever since they have started hanging out with my in laws without us quite regularly - lunch, dinners and coffees mainly.

90% of me thinks it’s really nice, great that everyone gets along. 10% of me wonders what they talk about when we aren’t there!

How normal is this? Anyone else’s parents besties with their in laws?? 😂

Mine have met a handful of times at family parties.

I on the other hand meet up with both dd ils to go theatre or similar a few times a year. They are lovely.

My Mum and Mum in law are good friends, they meet regularly for lunch and I think it's lovely. Especially lovely for my daughters who often get to see them together.

Nope - they met at our wedding (a long time ago) and have met again once at another wedding. That's it.

No, different country and language. They hang out with my sister's in laws though, I think it's really nice.

I’ve known one of my daughters-in-law for 30 years and have never met her parents. There hasn’t been a wedding or engagement, and we live far apart so it just hasn’t happened.

I’ve known the other for 10 years, and can’t stand either of her parents. It’s awkward, as we all live near each other, and do meet fairly often.

Mine do. Not frequently as they live 3 hours apart but they first met when DH and I got engaged and got on well. A couple of times a year they go and stay with each other.

DH and I - no! Our parents never mixed, imagine Hyacinth Bouquet meets the Royle Family
We have 2 DCs married. Parents of one partner live nearby and, on paper, we have a lot in common but they have always been quite stand-offish with us. They have come to numerous family events and parties that we have hosted but never returned invitations and I hear of them through friends but never see them.
Parents of other partner live a couple of hours away and we don't have as much in common yet they are always friendly and welcoming. We have met quite a few times along with our DCs and a couple of times without them.

One of my younger colleagues married a local chap then they moved away. Their parents have since become really close and even go on holiday together!

Hell no.

DH and I have been together for nearly 20 years. My parents have never met or even spoken with his parents. They literally have no idea who each other are. They all live no more than about a 20 minute drive away.

I’m not sure if my parents would even know if my DH has siblings. I suspect not.

In fact I’m not sure if anyone from DH’s extended family has ever met anyone from my extended family.

My parents went and stayed with MIL last year and had a lovely time. We (and parents) live in Scotland and mil is in NI. She showed them around, looked after them and it went really well. Quite often when mil visits (4-5 times a year) we will go with her to my parents house for lunch or dinner. They get on well.

My mum and MIL get on very well but my Dad and FIL are like chalk and cheese. It’s such a shame because I know our Mums would love to spend more time together but neither spend much time socialising apart from their husbands.

Yes, ours are friends. Any family occasion, parties, weddings etc my parents are invited and vice versa. Our dads go to the football together. They’re all quite family oriented and thankfully seem to have decided that family includes each other.

@2024namechange We both come from very different families 😬 and they’ve never shown any interest in meeting each other. Mine are extremely antisocial 🙄 they never want anything to do with family occasions - they come round at a different time from all other family to visit DCs at birthday etc.
The wedding is their worst nightmare so im sure they’ll have come up with an excuse and cancelled on me soon 🙃

No, they see each other at parties a couple of times a year but that's it. My MIL can be a bit over familiar and I think she gets on their nerves a bit (and mine)
My friends parents and her partners parents do though, they even go on holiday together!

I have lunch or coffee with my son’s MIL once a month or so, we live five minutes apart. All four parents have dinner 3-4 times a year. We do occasions such as Christmas and Easter together as we really don’t want our “kids” to have to choose where to go although it is getting more complicated as we each have another two younger siblings. We are very different people but have enough in common to make casual socialising fun, we also have our lack of wider family in this country in common so we make an effort. We are all united in our adoration of our granddaughter 😁

My parents and in laws didn't meet until my wedding day over forty years ago and haven't met each other since.
Two of my kids are married and I didn't meet their in laws until the wedding day and I've not met them since, nor have any desire to.

Oh I think that's lovely! Maybe they complain about you and your DH 🤣 it will be great if you have kids

Not at all. My in-laws wanted more contact and interactions, but my parents always resisted those requests. My parents have weird social habits. They have a very small circle of friends and have no interest in expanding it.

Yes, they get on great. They live very far apart. We live close to in-laws, but they always meet up for coffee etc when my parents are in town. And in-laws once travelled to my parents for a few days. They send each other cards and happy birthday texts etc.

@Passingthethyme thats the fear! 😂

I've been with DH for 14 years and I can probably count on one hand the amount of times my parents have met the in laws

No as they don't live in the same town.

But, my sister's PIL do and my mum never would have entertained the idea of meeting them without my sister. Totally different types, nothing in common at all.

Not at all. My in laws are older and very posh, they have little in common!