#133 Toxic In-Laws & Catholic Boundaries: What Honor Really Means with Miriam Susan

2025-12-09

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Send us a textAre you heading into the holidays with more tension than excitement? Maybe your in-laws don’t just make little comments about the mashed potatoes. Maybe there’s a long history of control, manipulation, or flat-out disrespect that leaves you walking on eggshells and nursing a migraine afterward.And then there’s the commandment to “honor your father and mother.” If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I being uncharitable if I set a boundary… or even step back altogether?” this conversation is for you.In today’s episode, I’m joined...

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Are you heading into the holidays with more tension than excitement? Maybe your in-laws don’t just make little comments about the mashed potatoes. Maybe there’s a long history of control, manipulation, or flat-out disrespect that leaves you walking on eggshells and nursing a migraine afterward.

And then there’s the commandment to “honor your father and mother.” If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I being uncharitable if I set a boundary… or even step back altogether?” this conversation is for you.

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Miriam Susan—Catholic wife, mom of six, convert, and host of the Catholic Wives with Toxic In-Laws podcast.

If you’ve ever felt unseen, exhausted, or unsure what holiness looks like in the middle of messy family dynamics, I want you to know: you are not alone, and God has not abandoned you here.

In this episode, we talk about:

What “honor your father and mother” really means (and what it doesn’t)
How toxic in-law relationships can impact your body, mind, and soul
The difference between setting a boundary and holding a boundary
Why distance or no-contact can sometimes be the most God-honoring choice
How to pray, discern, and communicate with your husband in the middle of family dysfunction

Links mentioned:

Connect with Miriam Susan and grab her free email course: www.desiringpeace.com/free-course
Listen to Catholic Wives with Toxic In-Laws podcast
Miriam Susan on Facebook

A gentle invitation:

If this episode brings up a lot in your heart and you find yourself thinking, “Why am I like this? Why do I react so strongly and then beat myself up for it?” I’d love to personally invite you to my free workshop next month:

👉 “Why Am I Like This? Making Sense of Your Emotions” will be held on January 12th at 6pm CST. Join us via zoom!

We’ll talk about what emotions actually are, why God gave them to us, and how to build the kind of emotional resilience that helps you respond with peace instead of spiraling. You’ll begin to: