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AIBU

Am I being over sensitive ?

(37 Posts)
Norah Tue 01-Feb-22 17:13:23

Ask your partner to deal with her, don't let her be your problem. There is absolutely no reason your partner can't interface with his mum.

I agree, don't JADE.

I also agree to stock replies -- "Thanks for offering" "Interesting" "No thank you" (hold your ground and give nothing)

janeainsworth Tue 01-Feb-22 17:04:02

Good advice from VioletSky, justamom.
I wouldn’t let her see she has upset you. Show her you’re tough, by ignoring her.
#6 is positively creepy. I wonder how your partner feels about that?

Germanshepherdsmum Tue 01-Feb-22 16:59:40

She sounds exactly like my (now dead so not the same one) ex MIL. A bully. Always knowing best and wanting to be in charge. I don’t think you’ll change her if mine was anything to go by so you need to get your partner on your side and put up a united front. Do things your way and try as hard as you can not to take it personally because I reckon she’d be the same with whichever girl her son got together with. I’m sensitive too and I know how it hurts but stay determined to look after your babies your way, with love. Like my former MIL, it doesn’t sound as if yours is nearly such a loving person as you are. Babies need to be cuddled and not made to stand for long periods when there’s another way, don’t they? Your confidence that you’re doing the right thing will grow, I promise. The proof of that will be your happy children brought up your way, with love.?

Allsorts Tue 01-Feb-22 16:52:57

Next comment that stings, say quietly to her, can we please talk on our own, tell her how upset at her criticism, you feel upset when she does it and could she stop, it’s up to her then, she needs to change her attitude, you can’t be undermined as your children grow, I’m afraid if she didn’t stop, I would absent myself from her for a while, your husband could take the children to see her, you are pregnant and shouldn’t be having this stress. I love my dil to bits, don’t see her that much, but we love each other, she has never received a critical word from me. My son is her partner and she comes first with him as she should. He would not stand for me talking down to her, but I wouldn’t to it anyone, how can you get pleasure by ridiculing someone?

VioletSky Tue 01-Feb-22 16:41:26

You are going to have to master the non reply

"thank you for sharing"

"I will think about that"

"that's an interesting idea"

Then just carry on as you are. The more you JADE, justfy, argue, defend and explain, the further she will push.. So don't do it. Let it all roll off you.

She may turn her non helpful remarks on your partner if she can't get at you and he may then realise what she has been putting you through

AGAA4 Tue 01-Feb-22 16:31:05

Some GMs want to be involved and give advice. They really shouldn't!
They are your children and you follow your instincts about how to look after them. Just thank her for the advice but say you will do it in your own way.

MerylStreep Tue 01-Feb-22 16:26:47

Justamom
Time to put the big girl knickers on I’m afraid.
The woman is a bully, but get it into your head that bullies don’t like to be confronted.
I don’t mean in front of a crowd but on your own. Write down what you want to say, practice saying it out loud. No raising of your voice. Just tell her in a cold and calculated way that it’s going to stop.

rosie1959 Tue 01-Feb-22 16:21:03

You are not being over sensitive she sounds awful. Your husband has to back you on important issues and stand up to his mum. He is probably so used to her sarcasm he doesn’t notice.
Next time she makes unwanted comments ask her if she means to be so rude.
She certainly sounds a know it all

Baggs Tue 01-Feb-22 16:18:22

Number two problem about the double buggy your partner supported you.

Number three you were right to ignore her and do what you thought best. Well played.

The proper response to number four is for you to say "pish!" to yourself inside your head. The woman is just trying to be one up all the time. One could almost ( almost! ) feel sorry for her insecurity.

Number five. Yup.

Number six is not worth am instant of your attention.

You're doing fine. Just try to ignore her a bit more while smiling sweetly and thinking Oh for goodness sake! in your head.

I seem to have missed no.1

Curlywhirly Tue 01-Feb-22 16:17:05

YANBU - she sounds a nightmare! When she tries to give you childcare advice, I would just say that things are done differently now, each generation has their own way of doing things. She sounds as though she is a little jealous of you, I would just ignore her personal comments and do what I did and smile sweetly (and make a mental note of how not to treat any future DIL that you may have!) ☺

BigBertha1 Tue 01-Feb-22 16:11:08

Oh Dear I do see what you me but sadly some in laws do get on your nerves. To be frank I cant see her changing and what I would suggest is make sure you and your partner have a united front and stand up to her but not at the cost of all falling out. I think you are going to have to turn a deaf ear to some of this. She sounds like my other was - drove me crazy so I know what you mean. Best wishes. smile

Justamom Tue 01-Feb-22 16:03:40

Hi just looking for a little advice, I will give you about of a brief overview on mines and my MIL relationship. We get on well but we in no way have a close relationship, I fell pregnant with my first child less than 3 months of being with my partner so maybe that's part of the reason; because we never really got to know each other. I feel she sometimes her personality changes depending on what mood she is in, I will admit I am a sensitive person and perhaps I do over analyse things abit too much, I want to believe her heart is in the right place and that she means well but sometimes her comments and little digs are too much and I'm beginning to feel like I'm not good enough for my children, it is making me depressed, it's also making me really dislike my mother in law and hate every thing she does, which I hate. My partner isn't much help as he jumps to her defence even when I'm just explaining to him that what she said was bang out of order, he literally sees no wrong in what she does. I will give some examples of what she has done in the past and recently that have hurt my feelings and that I feel are over stepping the mark.

1. Whenever we visit and I'm changing my son she will say things like " put some nappy cream on him"
"Just let him have his nappy off to get abit of fresh air" "aren't you going to put a vest underneath his clothes" I could go on for days about the comments and unwanted suggestions she makes, but she makes me feel like I don't know what I'm doing!

2. I am currently pregnant with my 3rd little monkey and my 2nd born will only be 2.4yr when little one arrives and I just want to point out that it wasn't a suggestion I was TOLD that I would use my 2nd borns pram and not buy a double and she would purchase us a buggy board, I said thank you but me and my partner have already decided we need a double buggy because I don't drive and need to walk 2 ish miles to nursery for my son so I thought it was unfair to make him stand if his legs would happen to get tired. She brought it up to partner again when I wasn't around and then again when I was and my partner kindly said " thanks mum and we appreciate you wanting to help us but we need a double buggy because we know that Noah won't want to stand for long" to which she replied very smart and cheekily saying " you are the parents and you need to tell him that he will have to stand on the board"

3. We were on holiday and my son who is 2 was getting abit overwhelmed with all the people and getting frustrated that he couldn't go into the water where the ducks were and when he chucked himself to the floor I went to pick him up and she said " don't pick him up just leave him on the floor he will come out of it" I said he needed a cuddle and that's what I will give him, he soon settled now and was fine, later on that night he was getting restless in his pram and wanted to walk but I tried to keep him in the pram for a few more minutes I tired to give him his toy truck but he was getting so upset he made himself sick, so I decided to give him a cuddle and told him that If he wanted to walk he must take mummy's hand and MIL said " you need to stop giving him his own way all the time, I know it's hard but he will soon learn he has to sit in his pram" I then ignored her because I was about to snap!

4. We were all sat around the breakfast table and my partners auntie said that my son was very smart for being non verbal I took this as a compliment until MIL said " he must take that from the Murray's" ( Murray is her maiden name ) to which everyone just looked at her because I think everyone could tell I wasn't happy at her trying to embarrass me in front of people.

5. I cooked her and 8 other people breakfast with SIL to which she laughed and said " these young people don't have a clue on how to cook" to which I said well make it yourself next time smile

6. She told me she had been snooping on my fb and that she saw photos when I was skinny I just thought to myself what an absolute b*tch.
She also then made a comment about if my partner wasn't her son and she was 10 years younger she would go for him herself, that comment made me feel uncomfortable I'm not going to lie.

Sorry for the long post but I just feel like my partner makes me feel like I'm over sensitive and that she's just trying to help us, he knows everything she says to me and he says "she won't mean it in that way she was only joking" but I don't take it that way.