MIL keeps taking things from my house

[TheSillyBalonz]

In recent times when my MIL has been baby sitting my 2 dd will say the Grandma has taken stuff. First time she raided our snack cupboard to take things home, one time I mentioned I had some nice paper, she said she had already taken it. Then most recently my youngest dd said Grandma had been routing through her things to find a specific toy that was a gift she had given to my youngest which she was now taking back to give to her other grandchild. They are not short of money.

This is wierd right or just me?

Is there a chance that this could be a sign of early dementia. My own mother did strange things quite a few years before we realised she had dementia.

First time, you break one finger, next time two.....

My mother ( also NC) is like this. She’s taken kids toys and given them away because she originally bought them she thinks she owns them.

When my DB turned 21 we met up with him in a pub where a big deal was made about giving him a £50 chq. As soon as DF was out of earshot she told DM not to cash the Chq. When it came to my 21st I was told I’d get the same, I said can I have cash as I was going away for a few days and the cash would come in handy. Cue my birthday, cash given in a card by mum and Dad, I was rushing out ( didn’t live with them) mum asked if we could meet up in town for a coffee as a nice birthday treat, sure I say, I get there and she’s already bought me a drink, so nice of her, after a few moments asks to borrow back the £50, cue me showing her the expensive bottle of perfume my friend had just bought, I told her I bought it with my birthday money, her face was hilarious. I met up with my friend after gave her back her perfume and proceeded to get drunk on the £50.

She also had form for taking my nice things when I lived at home, perfumes, clothes etc. I left home at 19 moving away but would visit every couple of months, I learnt not to bring nice perfumes or anything I liked with me and just before I’d leave I would go through her underwear drawer, we wore the same size bras which were expensive and hard to come by many options due to our size, anyway I started replacing my crappy worn out ones with her brand new ones I don’t think she ever figured it out, but I was my very little secret petty revenge against an abusive mother that makes me smile.

That is weird. Perhaps she sees your home as an extension of her home and your and her son's home as his bedroom from back in the days. I would keep any nice things hidden/locked away from her. Really! Rifling through your cupboards is downright odd. Is there anyone else who could babysit for you? If it was a paid babysitter you'd call this theft and wouldn't ask them anymore.

I collect stickers.

I buy my own, though. I don’t steal them from children…

My MIL is also a thief, seems to think it’s OK as ‘I have loads of stuff’ she mainly takes teabags, eggs (!) and toilet rolls. She sees everything in our house as belonging to ‘her son’ so she just helps herself. She thinks I don’t know. She’s not skint. If I’ve ever caught her she’s made a big thing about asking me if I mind because she can’t be bothered to go to the shop.

Don't have MIL over again and explain why she's extracting the urine and will keep doing so until forced to stop
It's not a case of what's yours is hers and doing it under the guise of babysitting is petty
Also, your hubby should be on your side in this matter but MIL is assuming that he won't be
You make sure is he is
That shock alone will get her

Call her out on it get the stuff back and stop the visits - she is a thief.