NOTE: This blog was originally published on May 22, 2011.

Well, let’s face it. One of us lucky ladies meets their second mother when it comes to the in-laws. The rest of us…well, it’s a few (or more) fries short of happy meal.

While I’m rather new at this in-law business, I do have a couple years under my belt. And so far the differences in lifestyles, habits, roles and even traditions have definitely rose to the surface.

At first, I was able to acknowledge them as they were – simply the components of a lifestyle much different from my own. However, now that I’m pretty much set for life with this family, I see the differences as more than simply this or simply that. In fact, I find them annoying, intolerable and sometimes down right disgusting. But what am I to do now? “Sorry, honey, but I’m leaving you ’cause of your family.”  Yeah, that would go over well.

No, its not an option. Or is it?

Just how bad is it?

How severe are the differences that I am talking about, you may ask. Well, I’m not talking any huge cultural mismatches. These differences I speak of, between the way my family does things and my significant other’s family does things, may seem minute in the grand scheme of things. However, I believe firmly in the idea of respecting other people’s time and that making plans is a good and functional habit. Other areas of my spouse’s upbring that are different from mine include: living in a messy home, parent-child fighting, immaturity (who’s the parent in this relationship?) and growing up having to support yourself without a lick of support from your parents.

While these things may seem to be minute or nit-picky, they are in fact changes from what once was for me. And dealing with change can be a process depending on the person. For me, its definitely a struggle. And it’s only the beginning…

While most of the time SheTaxi blogs are written with purposeful take-aways for you, the reader. This time, I, Desi, need your help.

What are your stories of in-law “differences?” What ways have you successfully managed these differences? Can I really leave him because of his family?