...to be soooooo bored at in-laws.

[MissClarke86]

I know this is unfair and IABU but I am SO DAMN BORED.

We're visiting OHs parents who live a couple of hours away in a rural location where nothing happens. They are lovely people but my goodness it's so dull every time we come round.

They are old before their time and never go out so conversation is very limited.

So far I have listened to hour long discussions about the new curtains and their fabric and the cats scratching problems.

We've been to a factory outlet and spent two hours looking at work shoes.

Now we are going over old "stories" that are told literally every time we come and have to be laughed at.

It actually makes me sad that they never get away or go anywhere, they're only in their 60s. But it's their choice.

I don't even need to know if IABU... I know I am, im just so bored and writing this has at least occupied me for two minutes!

Suggest a nice walk? Then talk about wildlife/weather or accidentally walk a bit ahead.

Mine. Sit. And. Stare. At. The. Telly.

Telly. Is. God.

Find places nearby that you want to go to and insist on an outing.

Mine are similar. dh takes the dcs
I don't get must laugh at something not funny

"Nearby" is at least an hour (unless you fancy a petrol station or a potato farm) and his mum struggles to walk far so getting out is quite tricky. When they come to us it's better because we can take them to garden centres etc.

We've got darts on the TV now and are still talking about work shoes.

Ahh nightmare. How long til you leave?

Only a couple of hours hopefully...

Naked cartwheels around the living room should liven things up.

Next time you go there could you take along some playing cards/dominoes/Monopoly or another board game?

Perhaps you could pre-measure some ingredients to take along with you and bake a cake there for something to do to pass away the time?

Not my cup of tea but do you knit/crochet/do embroidery? You could take something along do give yourself something to do, or to learn how to do it. Perhaps make some home-made (simple) Christmas decorations with your in-laws?

Miss Clarke I feel your pain!! I have been at the inlaws this weekend too and they don't leave the house. Ever. We were there 48 hours and neither of them went outside. They don't want to go anywhere. They don't want even to walk to the park with the kids. They live like this ALL THE TIME so have no conversation apart from what's been on telly. They live in a large city so there is loads to do and loads of places to visit - but they won't even come out to a nice tea shop for tea and cake because "why would you do that when we have teabags at home?"

I take my knitting, and play Candy Crush on my phone.

Regardless of what fun activity I tried to engage them in the conversation will still be deathly dull. To be honest I think I'd end up doing it alone.

I'm happy reading etc but they cant do silence and want to make conversation so interrupt constantly to start really dull conversations.

We've now been quizzed about the health of our boiler.

OH had just been told "You need to shave before the baby comes or you'll scare it" which was apparently the best joke ever. I'm so shit at faking interest/humour but trying so hard to be polite!

Mine are the same as Kingjoff's. I don't go very often.

I just read that as "You'll need to shave the baby when it comes"

You have my sympathy, my pil were exactly the same. They live in a sea side town that is a palace of glittering delights where entertainment for the dc is concerned but they refuse to ever actually go anywhere. If we take the dc out, they just wave us off and await our return, they'll never come with us.

on top of it all we've got fucking darts on the tv. I'm trying to give OH eye signals to show I want to go home.

Husband & I read the papers at the ILs.

Even they are relieved to get the conversation out of the way

You could take the chance to interview them about family history, their childhoods, parents etc. Your dc might well be interested in it later on and this stuff gets lost and forgotten so easily.

Well you seem quite rude MissC as you are having a phone conversation while you are visiting the ILs. I think this is rude whoever you are visiting to be honest although I know it's done quite a bit these days. I used to be bored visiting my ILs and I'm ashamed to say my parents as they got older. As your age your psychological horizons narrow and that is probably the reason they are boring to you. But you'll be in your 60s one day and who knows - you could be boring too. I think making fun of MIL's "joke" was unkind.

So what scintillating conversation do you make with your friends and faily (other than the ILs...)

I'm happy reading etc but they cant do silence and want to make conversation so interrupt constantly to start really dull conversations.

That's the killer. I am happy to entertain myself but hard when they won't let you.

Could you go for a lie down and read?

OP I feel for you
But I did laugh at shaving before the baby comes
I'm starting to see a lot of beards that look so bizarre I think they're fake stick on beards though....

I'm low contact with my dad but he spent years telling people the same stories till mum asked if he wanted some kind of dementia testing, he was pissed off, he just like telling the same stories but he can't complain if others have passed the point of being able to fake interest.

I know it all, we've been together 9 years. In fact I know their family history very well as I hear it most times we come.

It's reaching a climax, we're leaving soon...!

Work shoes have just been mentioned again.

My ILs were like this, deathly dull, same anecdotes but with an undercurrent of anger and resentment between them. Then they got divorced and I have to do it it with both of them separately with large repetitive monologues from them about what is wrong with the other one.

Oh god Blerg, you win!!

I totally get that it's irritating when they need to keep the conversation going. This happened with my ILs - they used to insist on pulling chairs around so that by the end we were all more or less sitting in a circle and yes it was tricky keeping the conversation going, which usually fell to me, but you know it was once a fortnight for a couple of hours - not much to give to DH's parents who were kind people. My MIL was another no outside interests and she was pretty much devoid of a sense of humour but she loved to see us and the beam on her face when we arrived was lovely to see. I think some of you young women seem very unkind these days.

I used to have the same problem with my SIL and BIL and their DC's. Every christmas we wold spend the WHOLE DAY with her where she manages to be evil and boring at the same time. I’d eventually crack and hint at going home and be torn to strips by my then wife.

I got divorced, christmas day is a delight.

I'm so glad I saw this thread .Im at my in-laws house now and MIL has just had a "talk" with me about being too quiet and not mixing with them. I've always been quiet so it's puzzling to me how they expect an entertainer of sorts when I visit . They never have anything to say to me besides gossip or insulting some relative I don't know .