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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

About FIL looking after ds?

19 replies

goatshavestrangeeyes · 28/02/2012 13:38

I'll try to get this all out in one go so apologies if its long!

Anyway, FIL wants to look after ds (20 months) one day a week, not to do anything amazing just take him to the shops or to see his aunties etc. I'm really not comfortable with it and really don't want him to but dh says i'm being very unreasonable and is trying his best to persuade me otherwise.

There are many reasons i don't want him looking after him by himself, the main one just being his behaviour when he is around him. He accidentally called himself daddy to ds last week, he completely smothers him. He comes to my house to see him and will be here for an hour and completely ignore me, honestly he won't talk to me at all he just follows my ds around (which annoys him tbh) The man has very poor personal hygiene, my house really smells after he has been here. I've NEVER been to his house (lives alone) because my dh won't let me it is THAT bad! He has lived there 7 years and doesn't own a hoover and has never cleaned his cooker so you can imagine.

I let him take him once for an hour to go and see his auntie but i found out afterwards that he didn't change his nappy the whole time he was there and just left him to eat his lunch in a shitty nappy Sad

He doesn't bother with my other 2 children (both girls) to the extent when dd1 saw him without ds being there she said 'now you'll have to speak to me because ds isn't here' and she always comments on how he ignores her. Everybody has noticed it. Dd2 is only 6 weeks old but hasn't even acknowledged she is here, didn't even get us a card or anything when she was born, no congratulations and he hasn't even looked at her let alone held her. Was complete opposite when ds was born.

Anyway the main reason it bugs me is because i know he only wants to look after him to get one up on mil. They have been divorced 20 odd years and mil with new partner since then. They all seem to get along very well but their relationship is very odd. Before mat leave mil would have ds every friday and fil would just turn up and stay there all day following ds around all day! But what really got my goat was hearing an answerphone message from fil to mil saying how he had seen HIS grandson today and because ds has same surname as his that means he is HIS grandson only and not heres. It was really very nasty and really upset mil (who i love to bits). He phones me up all the time trying to catch me out on when she has got him so he can go round and pester her, last night he even made me describe where the playgroup is that we go to because he didn't believe thats where we were going and ds wasn't at mils!

Wow this is so long already and theres probably more but i can't think right now. Thanks for staying with me! Anyway i really do not want this man looking after my son on his own, he can't look after himself let alone a boisterous toddler. I just do not feel comfortable with it. Dh says i'm being a total bitch and that i should let him because he doesn't want his dad to fall out with him (everybody panders to what he wants because he gets really moody and won't talk to anyone for ages if he doesn't get his own way) and thast he feels sorry for him and i'm stopping him seeing his grandson, which i'm not he is perfectly capable of coming to mine to see him he doesn't NEED to take him out for the day.

AIBU to not let ds go with someone i don't feel comfortable with or should i just give in to dh?

OP posts:
cocolepew · 28/02/2012 13:41

Has your DH not mentioned his Dad ignoring the DDs? YANBU.

goatshavestrangeeyes · 28/02/2012 13:50

My dh reckons he has a go at him when he pisses him off but no he hasn't said a thing about any of this crap. And if i ask him to i get accused of trying to make him cut ties with his family which i'm really not.

OP posts:
cocolepew · 28/02/2012 13:52

It sounds odd, tbh. It seems like fIL is keener to play one upmanship over your MIL.

confusedpixie · 28/02/2012 13:53

An adult who leaves a child in a shitty nappy cannot be trusted to take care of said child on their own. Surely your DH was angry with him for that alone?! The rest of it is awful too, but that alone is enough imo.

goatshavestrangeeyes · 28/02/2012 13:56

Yes thats definetly the case, he is very jealous of ds and mils close relationship. He's just a very very odd man, really selfish too. Yes i know he is a harmless twat but i'm not having my son used in some stupid game of one upmanship!

Dh was 'apparently' really upset that i've said no and i'm being cruel?! he said he thinks he would be okay to look after him and i should trust his judgement.

OP posts:
Inertia · 28/02/2012 13:58

YANBU. The needs of your DS come first- he isn't a possession to be fought over. Your FIL's house doesn't sound set up for a boisterous toddler- if it's so revolting that DH won't let you go there, why should a climbing, exploring child be subjected to potential risk? And all the checking up, and you having to explain yourself- WTF?

goatshavestrangeeyes · 28/02/2012 14:03

Dh says i should let him because at least he is asking to have him and is taking an interest. I said what if it was dd2 when she is that age and he shut up!

He won't take him to his house, well at least i don't think he would because even though i haven't seen it i've heard all the horror stories about how bad it is! He wants to take him to his sisters (about a half an hour drive from mine) although he said he would do that last time which is why i let him but no he took him to b&q instead lol!

I know its just to get one over on mil but dh says its not and that he's lonely. Not my fault he has no friends, he's not a very nice man!

OP posts:
Inertia · 28/02/2012 14:10

Well, FIL has shown that he's not able to look after DS if he leaves him in dirty nappies.

Maybe the way forward is to offer occasional invitations to FIL to come out with all of you? Tell him that you're going to the park/zoo/swimming on X day and he's welcome to meet you there and spend some time with all his grandchildren. Allowing him to display such overt favoritism to DS is going to be problematic in the long term. If he refuses to spend time with all of you, then FIL's motives will become a lot clearer.

AlexTasha · 28/02/2012 14:15

Personally I would trust your instincts. He sounds like a bit of a weirdo!

girlywhirly · 28/02/2012 14:15

Why not show DH the post that you have written?

I don't think it is right that FIL favours DS over the DD's, it isn't fair. If he comes to visit, he should wash and wear clean clothes. He should speak to you courteously and not ignore you while he is there. And he should definitely not harass you as to DS' whereabouts all the time.

I wouldn't trust him to keep DS clean, or safe from danger, on the basis of what you have written. DS is a trophy grandchild, used to score points. He also seems to have mood swings, how will he deal with DS when he has a tantrum or won't do as he's told, is he likely to smack him or hurt him?

I would also be concerned about FIL's mental health, the lack of personal hygiene or home hygiene, the moods and sulks etc, the lack of any interest in the DD's and an almost obsessive interest in DS.

Shutupanddrive · 28/02/2012 14:22

Weirdo alert! YANBU

paddlepie · 28/02/2012 14:24

YANBU he sounds weird.

NormanTebbit · 28/02/2012 14:36

You are not comfortable with this, it's clear. Why not just say it's fine for FIL to visit but not take him for the whole day.

Your partner obviously has his own issues with his family so it's York you to put your foot down.

WhereYouLeftIt · 28/02/2012 14:46

I wouldn't trust your FIL to take care of your shopping never mind your son. I'd say "Go with your instincts" on it, but it's not really instinct is it, it's the bleedin' obvious. Which your DH is studiously ignoring.

Let's face it, you're not turning a hair at refusing your FIL, all the stress from this situation is coming from your husband's reaction. Which is BIZARRE. Why would he want his son maltreated in this way (and his daughters in another)?

LetsKateWin · 28/02/2012 14:53

YANBU.

TheCrunchUnderfoot · 28/02/2012 15:05

Absolutely NOT.

PomBearAtTheGatesOfDoom · 28/02/2012 16:29

Your DH says you "should trust his judgment" but he won't trust yours! YANBU

JosieZ · 28/02/2012 16:34

FIL can see son on his own when son is older (and able to report back any strange goings on) meanwhile just let him 'babysit' him at your house.

Starting to distance yourself and DCs from this odd ball seems a good idea to me. I doubt he will improve with age, more likely the opposite. It's not your fault he is a grubby, grumpy and spiteful.

ENormaSnob · 28/02/2012 16:34

Trust your instincts.

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