Greek Family
WILL NEVER BE GREEK ENOUGH FOR HUSBAND’S FAMILY, DEAR ABBY:
I married a Greek man whose family accepted me. Being young and naive, I tried everything to fit in, from Catholicism to the Greek Orthodox faith, attending all functions, including them in our lives. It was never enough.
My husband and I traveled to Crete with his to visit his relatives there, and some extended family members refused to the dinner table with me because I was not Greek. One those family members was a priest!
Our daughter, “Athena,” born four years later. What broke the camel’s back for me a Christmas dinner when she was 6. My father-in-law gave cards with $100 to all the grandchildren of heritage. Athena received nothing and cried for hours wanting to why her grandfather didn’t love her. My husband just tried stay neutral.
Abby, how far should someone have to to fit in with their husband’s family?
— IRISH AGAIN IN HAMPSHIRE