How well do you know your wife’s friends? Your wife may be your best friend now but she probably had other friends before she met you and committed to building a happy marriage with you. Chances are that these friends are still in her life and, therefore, in your life.

Learning how to deal with your wife’s friends and how to make your wife happy is an important part of marriage. By now, you most probably have met her closest friends and have your opinion of them. Obviously, dealing with your wife’s friends is a lot easier when you like them. However, you should be civil with them, regardless of how you feel about them.

Get to know her friends better

The best and easiest way of dealing with a spouse’s friends is to try and be friends with them. After all, there must be a reason why your partner likes them. You can start by getting to know them and trying to find some common ground with them. This will require spending some time with them, preferably together with your wife. For instance, you can ask your wife to invite her friends over for dinner so that you can get to know them better.

Remember, meeting your wife’s friends can be stressful no matter how long you have been with your wife. However, all you need to do is to engage them in conversations and show them that you are interested in them. Your wife will appreciate you making the effort to get to know her friends better so that you can have a happy marriage with her.

When you don’t like her friends

The downside to getting to know her friends better is that you may not like them. Their values and goals in life may be different from yours or they could simply be too loud for your taste.

If you have any major concerns about your wife’s friends, you should definitely share them with her. Be honest about your feelings and concerns but be careful not sound as if you are criticizing them. She may get defensive if she feels that you are criticizing her friends.

If you are worried that being friends with people who have different values will cause her to act in a certain way, be honest about it. However, don’t ask her to give up her friends because that will only lead to resentment. Only she can make the decision to give up her friends. All you can and should do is let her know how you feel.

Your wife’s friends and family are critical to the survival of your marriage. When you are having relationship problems, your wife will most likely turn to her friends, and if they don’t like you, they will only make the situation worse. Treat them with respect and be courteous in spite of what you think of them, and they will be rooting for a happy marriage between you and your wife.