As the saying goes “You can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family.”  The same applies when choosing your life partner.  You meet…date…fall in love…get married…and you either strike gold with your new extended family or you find yourself in in-law hell.

A recent study by the jewelry company Shane Co. recently published a study on their “The Loupe” website titled “States with the Best (& Worst) In-Laws.”  The study was conducted over a 3-week period according to the article.  They surveyed 2,900 people in 41 states.  Participants were asked to rate their in-laws on a scale of 1-5, with 1 the lowest score and 5 the highest.  A number of states were not included in the survey because they did not have enough data to draw a conclusion one way or another.

How did residents of Massachusetts feel about their in-laws?  WOW!  Massachusetts recorded the second-highest score of all participating states with a 3.94.  That puts Mass 2nd in the country for loving their in-laws.  Massachusetts was second only to Rhode Island with a score of 4.00.  To show how much Mass loves their in-laws the average state score was 3.66 according to the Shane Co. survey.

The state with the worst relationship with their in-laws according to the Shane Co. survey was Arkansas with a 3.19 score.  Connecticut was next to last scoring 3.38 out of 5.00.

Mother Adoring Daughter's Date
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Out of all the results tabulated to my surprise, Mother-In-Laws scored higher than Fathers-In-Law.  Judging how strong of a relationship the participant has with their spouse’s mom 22.2% said “Great.”  Spouse’s dad’s totaled 18.5%.  the “Awful” percentage was 28.7% for moms and 34.5% for dads.

The “Best Traits for In-Laws to Have” according to the Shane Co. study…

1-Welcoming you into the family warmly 34.7%

2-Treating you like their own children 15.23&

3-Being helpful when they are needed 14.64%

4-Respecting your space 9.92%

The “Worst Traits for In-Laws to Have” according to the Shane Co. study…

1-Giving unwanted advice 19.55%

2-Inserting themselves into your life too much 15.62%

3-Being overdramatic 12.28%

4-Speaking negatively about you behind your back 11.39%

Every family dynamic is different and there is an ebb and flow to getting along through the good and bad times and the years and years of family get-togethers, holidays, events, and drop-ins.  When you hitch your wagon to a partner, he or she is also connected to a caravan that will go along for the ride.  Here’s hoping it is a nice smooth road and not a bumpy one.

To check out more interesting information gathered in this Shane Co. survey click on this link to their “The Loupe” website.

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