If you have a partner and you’re married, you must have wondered, at some point, what might be the best things to talk about with your mother-in-law. You can’t avoid her forever, and she will keep visiting you and your partner. If you have children, she will likely visit them often.
You are not alone, and you don’t have to keep worrying about things to talk about with your mother-in-law. You can check out the conversation topics described below for inspiration.
Best things to talk about with your mother-in-law: Regarding your partner/children
01Your kids’ health
Anything to do with the health of the grandchildren is considered a prime conversation topic with mothers-in-law.
Whether it’s an update on health or a worried thought about it, your mother-in-law will be willing to talk about it and offer her thoughts.
The latter is an added bonus; topics like these make mothers-in-law feel as though they are useful because they are sharing their advice and tips.
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02Your partner’s job success
Reveling in your partner’s success at work or in life is a good thing, especially when it’s in front of your mother-in-law. It projects a united front in your relationship, a loving connection, and support for one another.
Any mother-in-law would be happy to know that his/her child’s partner is supportive. She might also be thrilled about her son’s or daughter’s success. It also diverts the conversation from you for a while, in the case that you need it.
03Your kid’s good grades in a particular subject at school
Grandchildren are always among the best things to talk about with your mother-in-law. Even the dullest conversation with her can be improved by talking about the grandchildren and how they are doing at school.
It works best if you stay on the bright side of things by discussing the subjects in which the kids are excelling at school.
Chances are that she will end up talking about what she excelled in while at school, and you’ll have yourself a full conversation with your mother-in-law.
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04Your partner’s good parenting skills
Talking about your partner in a good light is always a good idea, especially in front of his or her mother. A conversation about your partner’s good parenting skills should go a long way, and it could even go wonderfully.
It’s the fact that it combines three topics that are all important to your mother-in-law: her child, her grandchildren’s well-being, and her son’s or daughter’s parenting ability.
You get to talk positively about other people instead of yourself, and this is a clear sign of modesty, which mothers-in-law tend to appreciate.
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05How it was raising your partner when she was younger
This is a good topic of conversation because it puts your mother-in-law at the center of the conversation. She can take the stage and discuss her memories. She can give you some tips, and she can talk about where her and her peers ended up.
You can expect a successful conversation with your mother-in-law because the topic allows her to be both the source of the attention and the oracle of wisdom when it comes to parenting.
Besides, you get to show interest in how to become a better, wiser parent.
Best things to talk about with your mother-in-law: Regarding food
06If she believes in diets and if she would do one
A discussion on food that also involves her and her opinions is bound to be successful. This topic of discussion is good because it is open-ended, which allows your mother-in-law to air her ideas and opinions on diets without any restriction.
It’s also a good alternative if you’re looking to shift the focus of conversation from your children or family to her or something less controversial.
If your mother-in-law is a foodie, as many are, she will welcome a discussion on healthy recipes. It will be her domain, and she is likely going to flourish.
It also allows her to give you some advice and tips, which is something that all mothers-in-law want to do with their children’s partners.
They aim to be useful at all times. You also get bonus points for caring about things that matter to your mother-in-law, like healthy eating for her grandchildren.
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08Your kids’ newest food obsession
Grandchildren are always a welcomed topic of conversation with mothers-in-law. Talking about their latest food obsessions is a good way to make the conversation about food and the grandchildren.
If you’re looking to steer the conversation away from you or your partner, this is a good alternative.
Additionally, this is the kind of topic that allows your mother-in-law to offer more advice and tips that could be helpful to you or your partner. It can work wonderfully if executed correctly.
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09One of her signature meals and how the family has been craving it
If she does have a signature meal that she likes to prepare or naturally does well, then talking about it is essentially inviting her to have a long conversation with you. The conversation can be about her sharing her knowledge with you.
This topic praises her meal, and that is like catnip for mothers-in-law. It’s enough for her to start talking about herself or her recipes.
This topic also works because it triggers a topic that comes naturally to her, which makes her feel important, interesting, and useful.
10Your attempt to get the kids to like healthy food
Whenever you can’t find anything else to talk about with your mother-in-law, you can always count on any topic regarding food and the grandchildren.
If you’ve always wanted to come off to your mother-in-law as an involved, knowledgeable parent, this is the kind of topic that you need to bring up when she is around.
You also get a bonus; you get useful tips on how to steer the kids away from eating unhealthy food.
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Best things to talk about with your mother-in-law: Regarding other proper topics
11How she is doing right now
If your mother-in-law comes to visit and some time has passed, it is always good to ask about her well-being and her personal life.
You can ask about her health, her house, and her life. It is the easiest way to start a conversation with her because she can’t really avoid the question.
You get bonus points for being a caring daughter-in-law or son-in-law. Most importantly, she gets to talk about herself, and most people don’t mind doing this.
12Her current passion, projects, or hobbies
If you know about your mother-in-law’s hobbies or personal projects, then it’s a good topic of conversation. For starters, talking about the other person will score you some points because it shows that you’re caring, and you want to know about her interests (like a good son or daughter).
It also takes the focus away from you, your partner, and your kids. Besides, older people like to talk about their passions, projects, and hobbies to interested listeners.
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13A recent news story that happened in her area
There’s no better way to start a long conversation than by discussing the news. With your mother-in-law, you can keep it personal by talking about a recent news story that happened in her area or near her residence.
You can ask how it affected her, if at all? You can ask about what really happened and if there’s anything that we didn’t see on the news.
This is a good topic because news stories can trigger interesting discussions, and it can happen almost automatically. It’s also great if you want to turn the conversation away from you or your partner.
15 Interesting Things to Talk About with Your Mother-In-Law
14Her opinion on the best places for a family vacation with kids
Older parents-in-law always want to have their opinion heard, if only for the feeling that they are seen as wise or knowledgeable.
Asking your mother-in-law for an opinion on the best spot for a family vacation may not yield choices that your family would actually consider or use, but it’s an ego booster for her of the highest sort.
Besides, family vacations are a clean, less sensitive topic that you can use at any time.
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15Climate change, politics, and other serious topics
Many people assume that mothers-in-law are just boring individuals who are only interested in homemaking and parenting.
However, current events and issues are good topics of conversation because many mothers-in-law also like to be taken seriously, especially if they had a solid career in their younger years.
Bringing up discussions on timely issues, such as climate change, also can get you some points with your mother-in-law. She may even see you in a new light.
Conclusion
If your current worry is the things to talk about with your mother-in-law when she visits, then you are not alone.
Fortunately, there are thousands of appropriate things to talk about with your mother-in-law that you can use to always keep the conversation going.
All you need is the inspiration and a little push. We hope that you can get both inspiration and some motivation from the conversation topic ideas discussed in this article.
