5 Perfect Comebacks You Can Use To Deal With Nosy Relatives This Christmas
‘Tis the season! Many of us will be spending Christmas with family, some of us are really excited, some of us are indifferent and others are absolutely dreading it. We all have information that we don’t feel comfortable sharing with certain people – family included. This Christmas, you are sure to get a barrage of questions from relatives you have not seen for some time. “How come you’re not married?”, “when are you going to have kids?” or, “why don’t we see you anymore?” Though you may not want to answer these questions, you may feel obligated to explain, especially if they seem genuinely interested. So here are five perfect comebacks to help you dodge those unpleasant conversations and get past dessert.
Prepare A Brief Answer
If your relatives often ask you the same questions year after year, make sure you have prepared a brief answer which you can use to avoid anything that makes you feel uncomfortable.
Use Deflection
Change the subject. If you start to feel that the questions are getting too personal, just shift the focus. Ask them a question out of the blue and if you’re lucky this will move the conversation along quite quickly.
State Your Discomfort
If the conversation starts to take a nosy turn, let your feelings be known. Not everyone realises when an innocent question is too personal, so let them know that you feel invaded. Your relative should respect your wishes, as well as appreciate your efforts to communicate your honesty.
Be Honest
Rather than fabricate a story (which you will have to remember to spin in later conversations) just be honest. Of course, you don’t have to give all the facts but you can still share some bits and pieces with them.
When All Else Fails, Let It Go And Walk Away
If you really don’t feel comfortable answering their question, you can simply tell them that you don’t want talk about it and walk away. Remember, not replying is still a reply. Walking away means that you respect yourself to move on, rather than let it affect you.
Read more: 5 Polite Phrases That Will Disarm Rude People Instantly
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Written by: Fattima Mahdi
Fattima Mahdi is a author, mentor, lyricist and professional roller-skater. She uses both her love for writing and music to address socio-political issues prevalent in society today. She is also the proud author of Love Don’t Come Easy. Read More stories by Fattima Mahdi
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