How to Handle Unsolicited Advice From Your Relatives

Don't talk about your business. Telling your annoying relatives about your business is basically an invitation for them to start giving advice. The less they know about your life, the less advice they will give. Don't share your problems with relatives if you don't want to hear their advice.

Be polite. People give advice because they want to be helpful, often forgetting that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Your relatives just want to help you, they probably don't realize that they're being annoying. So there's no need to be rude and get all defensive. Be calm, thank them for their advice and say you'll take it into consideration. Be gentle, but firm.

Tell them you can't make important decisions alone. For example, if your relatives try to give you parenting advice, you can say that you need to discuss it with your partner first, because you are raising the kids together. Basically, every time they try to give you advice on something important, tell them you are thankful for their concern, but you need to talk things over with your spouse.

Be open-minded. If you get used to ignoring every piece of unsolicited advice you are offered, you might miss out something really useful. It takes a lot of sand to wash a few grains of gold. We are not saying you should take every piece of advice thrown at you seriously, but you shouldn't make a point of ignoring your relatives' opinions.

Don't give unsolicited advice. Have you considered the possibility that you get unwanted advice because you like to give unwanted advice? Sometimes we say “You should...” without even realizing that. Before getting mad at your annoying relatives, make sure you're not being annoying yourself. Maybe your relatives' unsolicited advice is a returning boomerang.

Set boundaries and limit your contact with annoying relatives if necessary. If you are tired of being polite, draw a boundary and let your relatives know you don't need their advice. Say that you have your own way of handling things and their methods don't work for you. If they persist, limit your contact with the most annoying relatives.