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Any advice is appreciated!DIL at a loss here!!

(307 Posts)
DILseekingAdvice Sun 26-Nov-17 07:35:02

Hi all,
So I'm a DIL and the main reason I've come to gransnet is to ask you lovely ladies for your honest (happy for brutal honesty) opinions on my situation.
So my MIL and I do not have a good relationship, this all started before I got pregnant and worsened during my pregnancy. It started off with MIL and the other inlaws expecting to throw my baby shower the way they wanted it (my sister held the shower) during the shower MIL made quite a few nasty comments to my guests in regards to me (told everyone I was having a cesarean to spite her as she was going on a cruise at the scheduled date- this was docs choice not mine, said my size was going to lead to the baby being born tiny and sick- I have anemia and cannot put weight on no matter how hard I try, that I don't help her enough, that I've taken her son away- he moved in with me but still sees her regularly, that I'm lazy and don't work hard- I worked 60+ hour weeks up until birth, that I'm using her son- I actually make more money than he does ) about a week before I had my baby she was insisting that DH take DD to her and leave me at home when she returned from holiday (DD 5 days old) so she and her family could have bonding time with their baby (exact words). This I was not ok with so her and her family ended up visiting, showing up at 9pm, they then made fun of me (calling me a brat and that I was looking dreadful) then MIL got her turn to hold DD and started coughing all over her, she then informs me that she had picked up a virus- I asked them to leave at this point. Since then we have butted heads over everything, I'm not comfortable with unsupervised visits as she has shown me countless time she doesn't take any regard towards my safety concerns for DD and seems to purposely do the opposite of what I ask and then hassles both DH and I to let her keep the baby constantly, when I take DD to see her she constantly makes passive aggressive comments (eg she said I need to wear makeup and take care of myself so DH doesn't wander.. That I'm keeping her away from her baby- my DD, that I should let them have her whenever they want and that I'm too clingy, overprotective and a b**ch, ruining her family dynamics, tells these things to DD) she also refuses to follow the rules I have set (no sick visits allowed- the past 5 times I've visited, even with checking that no one is ill someone has been sick and she has lied to me about it, no children kissing baby, no kissing baby on lips, that she is not to stand and walk with baby as she has serious health issues and cannot walk unassisted, no solid food- baby is only 3 months) none of my inlaws have made any effort to actually come and visit apart from the first visit and seem to prefer to whinge amongst themselves and plan spiteful things (eg my DDs Xmas gift from them is apparently photos with their name labels so she knows who they are) I've said to them countless times that all they need to do is message me if they would like to visit her and we can arrange it but not once has this happened, it seems as if I'm the only one who makes the effort to organise for them to see her and they refuse to come to us, we have to go to them. I've actually gotten to the point when even a phone call or planning a visit leads to me having a giant anxiety attack and I have been experiencing extreme anxiety around them! To make matters worse DD is a shy little baby and they refuse to pass her back to me when she needs to be fed or is hysterically crying they just ignore me until DH tells them to hand her back. I'm just at a loss as to what to do any advice would be appreciated

Jalima1108 Mon 04-Dec-17 09:43:00

Well done DILseekingAdvice - you sound stronger already. Personally, I think that is the best way to manage this situation and I hope all works out well for you and your family.

Smileless2012 Mon 04-Dec-17 09:14:09

Thank you for the clarification DILseekingAdvice. To be prepared to do all that you can to maintain your relationship with your m.i.l. so that she continues to see your DH and D is admirable in the circumstances.

Family visits will I'm sure be stressful for the time being but I hope that things settle down and eventually they will be something you can look forward too rather than dread.

Good luck.

DILseekingAdvice Mon 04-Dec-17 03:06:23

Oh DD won't be going there without me either, I don't trust her at all due to past behaviour so until such a point as she changes how she is and shows me she has changed it will only be family visits

FarNorth Mon 04-Dec-17 01:29:58

From your previous posts, it also sounded like your DH and DD shouldn't visit your MiL without you, as DH was not as alert as you to prevent risky behaviour.

DILseekingAdvice Mon 04-Dec-17 00:49:08

The only time I will visit her is when DH is there and he will not be leaving me alone with her for even a second as I really don't deserve to be treated the way she treats me and my DDs safely is way more important than her wishes. And I also don't let her put DD in harms way, if she does something that is dangerous I take DD off her and leave. For those that don't believe that a GP could possibly do that honestly I wish I still believed the same, if it were a perfect world every person would never do something that could hurt another but unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world and people, no matter who they are do stupid things without thinking

DILseekingAdvice Mon 04-Dec-17 00:44:30

I will also say that for the few that have been cut out here I am sorry that you are not in your children and grandchildrens lives, sometimes the DILs and SILs can be awful and unreasonable, but that doesn't mean that all DILs or SILs are nasty spiteful people that want GPs gone without reason. As I've stated I had no intention of cutting my MIL out, yes currently I am wanting a break from her after she went into my work and caused some issues and yes it's tempting to cut her out but I have no intention of properly cutting her out nor would I ever even concider asking DH to cut contact with his mother. I will not be leaving my child with her when she behaves like this nor will I be visiting her as I previously did alone so that she could spend as much time as possible with DD.

DILseekingAdvice Mon 04-Dec-17 00:39:18

Also the only mental health issues I have is post partum anxiety and panic attacks, yes that can cause small things to seem really huge but I can recognise when that is happening and realise that it's not actually a big deal

DILseekingAdvice Mon 04-Dec-17 00:36:28

When I said should I let her get away with putting my child at risk that was retorical, as I was responding to a poster who advised me to be the bigger person and let it go as such. Secondly yes my MIL has raised children, you would assume that she would know to keep children away from viruses, especially as a newborn her thinking is that babies need to build their immune system and she believes that exposing them to illness is a way to do that. As for her trying to walk around holding DD even though she cannot walk unassisted (she has some pretty serious knee issues she's having surgery soon to try to correct) I can't understand why she tries to do this she knows how bad her stability and mobility is yet she doesn't seem to care, I haven't actually asked her why she tries to do this.

Smileless2012 Sun 03-Dec-17 23:39:04

I'm sorry Madgran that your relationship with your d.i.l. continues to be tenuous and that you continue to live with the fear of being cut out.

I hope that things improve which is a possibility as long as there is still contact.

Madgran77 Sun 03-Dec-17 19:16:35

"Madgran OPs posts is sooo over the top with everything and includes all her husbands birth family, she is on here getting the advise she wants; which is CUT THEM ALL OUT! All her talk about ^ I really don't want to cut them out^ is 'smoke & mirrors^ Being cut out myself I can easily see straight through this propaganda against all her in-laws. I think the OP has mental health problems, read her post again."
Yogagirl Thankyou for replying directly to my comment. I have read her post again and I don't recognise what you describe in terms of smoke and mirrors; you say that you can see through it...I think that is a massive assumption. I am a MIL who certainly "walks on eggshells " at times and I have an on going fear on CO, as I have referred to on other threads so I am painfully aware of many of the pitfalls etc. I have been shocked by some of my DILs behaviours over time, although I have never and will not detail them on this forum,. However that does not make me assume that in this case the DIL is lying/exaggerating or anything else! I do think your point about this MIL potentially asking for advice on GN is relevant and thought provoking. I don't agree with CO as a piece of advice and have not advocated it for the OP or anywhere else on GN. I suppose we are just looking at this one differently and that's the way it is confused

Yogagirl Sun 03-Dec-17 17:29:40

Well Rocknroll how very refreshing to read your post & thank you flowers - for Smileless too of course tchsmile

Bugsy I'm truly perplexed as to why you keep banging on about my Son, You do it on all threads confused I hardly mention my Son, owing to the fact that if I do don't understand why he's done it, no one else will, and of course there would then be the finger pointing to boot tchsad

When my Son first went to Uni, I didn't need to worry about him drinking himself under the table, as students are well know for, as my Son never drunk. Even on special occasions, I would give him half a glass of champagne, he would take a sip for the toast & leave the rest, he didn't like alcohol tchshock I equated that with never touching or liking drugs, but I was wrong there, he did dabble in them [unbeknown to me]

If you know my story, you would know my nasty s.i.l started taking drugs from the age of 13yrs. I deduce, that with my nasty s.i.l putting his arm round my Son's shoulders and saying we're brothers, you & I, brothers need to stick together and with sharing drugs I've been told creates a bond of drug brothers So for these two reason I think my Son was taken over, coupled with the fact he really missed his Dad when he left us & his stepdad, he really loved them both & he doesn't have a brother of his own, so missed male company.

My Son was a good, kind & loving Son to me, the same with his eldest sister. He would come home from Uni and pick me up and give me a kiss and say he loved me. He is 6ft 4ins and me 5ft 2ins tchgrin Myself & my niceD, say all the time, that we just cannot understand why he has done this sad

Smileless2012 Sun 03-Dec-17 14:27:35

I agree that not all d's.i.l' are 'she devils' Harrigran and I have never said that they are then again, not all m's.i.l. are either. Perhaps those that are so quick to put all the blame on m's.i.l. are themselves seeing the situation from their own perspective.

In the 5 years of posting on GN especially on the estrangement threads Rocknroll5me, I have seen some appalling posts directed at mothers and GM's who have been cut out of their children's and GC's lives. At one point an entire thread was deleted because of the nastiness. I think that Yogagirl's point about "the loathed MIL" being appealing to some is a pertinent one.

When a d.i.l. complains about her m.i.l. she is generally believed, but when it's a mother and GM who has been CO and regards her d.i.l. or s.i.l. as the instigator, she is often told that she must have said or done something; that it must be her fault. The advice generally given by those fortunate enough not to be in this terrible situation is to 'be the bigger/better person', 'apologise even if you've done nothing wrong'.

I have seen countless posts from m's.i.l. who talk about walking on egg shells and/or biting their tongues for fear of saying anything that may cause offence. Even posts from GM's exhausted by the child care they are giving but are afraid to say anything in case all access to their GC is denied.

It is often the case on numerous threads Elegran that the OP stops posting at some point and others continue to argue about the issue. I don't see why this thread should be any different.

Rocknroll5me Sun 03-Dec-17 12:06:24

I've just read back and feel uneasy about the abuse yogagirl is getting. I think she has some valid points on the whole she is a supporter of grans on gransnet...and I like her point about the loathed MIL appealing to us? every story has its side - there aren't black and white issues

bugsy555 Sun 03-Dec-17 11:43:08

Harrigran I couldn't have said it better myself.

Jalima1108 Sun 03-Dec-17 10:33:45

I wasn't arguing, just correcting a statement which purported
to be an absolute truth!
smile

Elegran Sun 03-Dec-17 10:24:20

The OP last posted on Thursday 30th November at about midday, having clearly received enough advice to help her make up her mind on the path she means to take. For the last three days it has just been other posters arguing over the issue.

Jalima1108 Sun 03-Dec-17 10:18:17

No it doesn't Jalima
Well, perhaps not for all but yes in some cases Yogagirl

harrigran Sun 03-Dec-17 09:59:58

Perspective hmm

harrigran Sun 03-Dec-17 09:58:18

Sadly, there are one or two on here who see the situation from their own prospective and want to label all DIls as she devils.
I understand that MIL is from a different culture and expects the defference and respect that a matriach expects. This is not the middle ages and DIL has the right to feel comfortable in her own home and not be bombarded with unwanted "advice".
I think the OP is doing all the right things and being polite to boot, anybody treated my babies like that I would have ripped their heads off.

Smileless2012 Sun 03-Dec-17 09:16:08

Rhetorical or not Farnorth, it's a strange question to ask when obviously the answer is 'no'.

I agree Starlady that there will be some GP's who think that the safety and well being of their GC is the responsibility of the parents, but that is still a long way from deliberately putting a GC at risk. With regard to the coughing incident that was my initial thought, that the GM may have coughed involuntary rather than coughing all over the child.

Yogagirl Sun 03-Dec-17 08:39:26

{tchgrin] tchgrin tchgrin you do make me laugh bugsy

bugsy555 Sun 03-Dec-17 08:36:30

Starlady you have a lovely way of expressing yourself (much better then I do). And your advice is exactly what I would say to OP. I really hope she isn't sat at home now, having read some of the other comments, thinking that she is to blame or that she deserves the treatment she's received from mil. I truly hope that therapy guides her through such a stressful time and I believe we all need to remember this is a new mother struggling in a difficult situation

bugsy555 Sun 03-Dec-17 08:23:57

Yoga I feel that you may be the one in need of help for mental health issues. You have a support thread - stick to that for your own issues rather then projecting vile all over OP's thread.
You keep referring to the fact that OP has problems with other in-laws (& seem to indicate that this means it must be OP that has the problem) but surely in situations like these families take sides and maybe the other in laws have wrongly taken the side of their relative - the mil.
Surely you can understand this as I know your son has also cut you off as you state he has wrongly taken the side of your daughter and son in law.

You either have tunnel vision or your simply mad as a hatter.

Yogagirl Sun 03-Dec-17 08:16:43

Jalima What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller

No it doesn't Jalima sad

Yogagirl Sun 03-Dec-17 08:08:37

Madgran OPs posts is sooo over the top with everything and includes all her husbands birth family, she is on here getting the advise she wants; which is CUT THEM ALL OUT! All her talk about ^ I really don't want to cut them out^ is 'smoke & mirrors^ Being cut out myself I can easily see straight through this propaganda against all her in-laws. I think the OP has mental health problems, read her post again.

This is a forum for Grandmothers to get help and advise from their fellow Grandmothers, in times of stress & hurt. What are you all doing? Just like when Christ was put on the cross!