Dear Annie: When our son was born eight years ago this month, my husband and I were excited to have family from both sides come and help us and be there to support us. We had been told by many people, both at the hospital and birthing classes, what to expect. Quite the opposite happened, and while it was a confusing and difficult time for us, we got through it together.

However, as time went on, we felt both sides of our extended families struggle with accepting the changes we made in how often we spent time with them (we were truly doing our very best; we both came from close-knit families and were very family-focused people).