There is a grain of truth in the saying that “You can choose your friends/lovers, but you cannot choose your relatives.” Most of us have that annoying relative that we want to avoid at all costs. But since we are related it is harder to avoid interacting with them. Filipinos specially have very close family ties and it is not rare to find relatives living in the same roof, in a small compound, in the same village and we do like holding reunions and get-together’s with our relatives.

I myself have my share of obnoxious relatives, I really don’t like those overly curious, gossip-hungry relatives. And another one I particularly avoid because she has a penchant for imposing her religious beliefs and standards on most of us. Meeting with her means you will be subjected to an hour or two of lecture on the bible, the saints, the activities of the parish priest, and what I should do to achieve eternal salvation. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in God. I am Catholic, I respect how others believe and worship and I just wish she doesn’t force other’s to worship as she does.

Psst! Time to stop ranting now. The post is actually on tips on how to be nice to your annoying relatives. Why am I writing this? You probably tried a thousand and one ways on how to avoid your “not-so-nice” cousin and you’re at the end of your wits and short of arranging an early funeral for him/her yet you haven’t succeeded so the next best thing to do is to DEAL with it by trying to make your meetings more bearable.

• Try smiling. If you can’t smile genuinely, then fake it. Greet them when you see them and smile. The first time I tried it I felt like my face was covered with mud pack and my husband thought I looked really funny, but the more you try it the better it’ll be.

• Praise them. Oh! This is so hard, but try to squeeze your mind and find something to like about him/her. Be it her fake eyelashes or his tweety bird neck tie, comment on them. Most annoying people likes attention so give it to them in bits and pieces.

• If you wanna avoid being asked too much personal questions, try starting a conversation by asking about the latest in their lives. The key is START THE BALL ROLLING BY ASKING A QUESTION ABOUT THEM. This will give them a chance to air out their stories, express their opinions and this will make them feel good therefore they will not be overly curious about your life.

• Visualize something funny about what they are talking about. Who knows you might end up enjoying yourself, but be careful about showing too much amusement, they might think you are thoroughly enjoying their company, so give it in right doses.

• After a few minutes of listening to them, think about your escape route. A need to help in the kitchen, a need to talk to someone, its up to you. Be creative.

If you have more tips you want to share, please leave a comment. It might be of some use to us..