Q. I am an American businessman, recently married to a French woman who is quite close to her family. Her parents expect us to have a meal with them once a week, and as they live some distance from us, we can only go there on Saturday or Sunday. I find once a week excessive and would like to reduce it to once every three or four weeks, but that’s not acceptable to my wife. We can’t discuss the subject without getting into a huge argument. What do you think would be fair to us both?
Moved in With a Charming Frenchman
A couple of years ago I met and moved in with a charming Frenchman who was finishing up a stint with a US company, and we returned to France together when he was transferred back. Although his friends and family seem to have accepted me, and we talk a lot about a future together, I find him very different from the way he was back home. My biggest complaint is that he criticizes me constantly, even for the most insignificant things, and when I react to this, he accuses me of being oversensitive. How can I make him understand that his behavior is really eating away at the relationship?