Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Worried about my niece - is this normal?

86 replies

Intelinside · 27/02/2018 09:53

She's 5. Started local school in September, birthday in October. My sister-in-law has her and a 1.5 year old. They live 8 mins walk from the local school but my sil takes both the kids in the double buggy every morning which seems bizarre to me.

On it's own, maybe doesn't seem so bad but they seem to drive everywhere, and their diet is exclusively convenience food and sugary snacks.

I stayed over two nights ago and the kids had: toast, 2 yogurts, juice, chocolate cereal, ice-cream and a slice of cake from the cafe, all before midday.

This isn't normal, is it? I don't have kids so it might be.

My niece has already missed about 25 days school in the first two terms for various holidays and 'duvet' days.

I'm worried about the combination of no structure, poor diet, no exercise on her but there's not much I can do, is there? My brother is so easy going and seems to agree with the lifestyle choices. The kids are happy and I don't want to fall out with them. Both Nan's have had periods of NC for raising similar criticisms...

OP posts:
Bananasinpyjamas11 · 27/02/2018 12:28

I think having a regular and positive relationship with your niece is the only positive thing you can do here. Be an involved Auntie, and take her out on walks, take her to soft play or swimming. Get her interested in cooking healthy stuff. It might, over time, make a difference.

The school will deal with attendance. Your brother and sil are in control of the rest, and it is slack. My Ex is like this, and frustrating as it is, I cannot change him forgetting to get our sons teeth brushed, sweet food, and generally lazy attitude!

Ivymaud · 27/02/2018 12:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NeedsAsockamnesty · 27/02/2018 12:48

op Can I ask why you felt the need to point out that the mash she used was microwave mash?

And how do you feel she should have dealt with the broccoli not being eaten?

ReanimatedSGB · 27/02/2018 12:49

Oh FFS, loads of you need to get over yourselves. This kid is five. It is a lot better for her to have duvet days when she fancies them - the push for 100% attendance in DC this little is utter, utter bullshit and another example of what a mess is being made of the education system.

And the 'diet advice' in Change 4 Life is shit as well (less eeevil sugar and more... aspartame? Great idea).

Sounds like your SIL has an approach to parenting that is free of gullibility, and a better chance of raising happy, healthy kids than all the whinyarses desperately chasing whatever the latest faddy nonsense is, and blindly following 'authority' when it is extremely clear that the Government hasn't got a fucking clue about what kids need and - more importantly - doesn't give a toss.

Intelinside · 27/02/2018 13:03

It's a good point, sock. Not 100% sure, but suppose it was in response to a poster who asked how I knew she only ate convenience food and it was just a list of what was in the fridge/on her plate. There arent any potatoes in the house, just packets but it's a good spot tbh. My judgement seems to be both conscious and unconcious.

Reanimated, it's a really good point actually and I really really hope you're right. It is all i want - healthy, happy family who I love and I'm worried about at the moment.

OP posts:
Helsingborg · 27/02/2018 13:26

Could you buy a scooter for your niece the next time you visit? Hopefully the spring weather is not too far off & it'll be a novelty for her to scoot to school. It might persuade your sil to ditch the double buggy and use the single one instead.

ScabbyHorse · 27/02/2018 13:35

You can raise concerns through the school via their staff member responsible for child protection, if you think the 5 year olds development is being affected.

Lizzie48 · 27/02/2018 14:00

It does sound like there is a lot of sugar in their diet and it really wouldn't be good for your DNs if their diet is always like that. Hopefully your DB and SIL are making sure they're cleaning their teeth properly, that's very relevant here. I do know of a family where both their young DDs had lots of dental problems with their milk teeth, and they certainly did eat a lot of sweets.

The lack of exercise is worrying, too, I second the suggestion from a PP that a good idea would be to give them scooters as pressies, my DD1 was given her first scooter by her auntie and it was a fab pressie, she loved it. Smile

It is encouraging that they provided broccoli, but they need to do more to encourage them to eat it (easier said than done, I know). The best strategy, I've found, is to limit sweet things, and only offer them once my DDs have eaten at least some veggies.

You could offer to bring some healthy desserts, like fruit salad?

But it really would be best not to say anything, it won't benefit anyone if they go NC with you as well.

It's lovely that you care so much.

Graphista · 27/02/2018 14:23

Wow! Defensive much? I asked a fairly obviously needed question!

Plus rude!

It's common with this type of post for it to later he revealed the op doesn't know as much as they think or they've extrapolated info.

Graphista: i know where they live and wjat school she goes to, so know the difference ok

Diet comment was about what they ate when I was there at the weekend just gone'so based on ONE snapshot

And my SIL has told me about the buggy and that they don't walk did she say they never walk?

I know about the holidays and vaccines cos she's told me/put on fb. yea cos people NEVER lie/exaggerate/use sarcasm on fb

You can assume I'm lying but I'm not sure what I'd be gaining from lying about this. I am in regular contact via whatsapp and phone calls, even though I only see them once a month. Does that help you?
I didn't assume that at all if I definitely thought that I'd have said so - I'm quite clear in my posting style. What you'd gain? Plenty of posts of in laws who judge mothers negatively for petty reasons. Getting us to justify your dislike of your sil is one option.

"I'm agog you are trawling back through her FB counting up days off, thats a lot of effort!" More than a tad obsessive

"Why is everyone focusing on the SIL? OP's DB is equally these children's parent." Because op has framed it that way, doesn't suit her narrative to criticise her brother.

I have to say I'm also sceptical of people who aren't parents themselves criticising parenting decisions.

My dd is 17 I've been a single parent since she was 2. There are times when I've let her use a buggy when she was tired after the age of 4, let her have too much sugary food, let her stay home from school due to not actually being ill but having had a bad nights sleep due to nightmares etc and would've been a nightmare grouch at school...

She is slim, healthy (apart from her disability which is genetic), doesn't have even one filling, got good qualifications at school and now has a good full time job that could lead into a good career, has good friends.

She had one term where her attendance levels were low due to her disability (diagnosed around that time as a result) flared up badly.

However much you see on fb or sil tells you on whatsapp etc you don't have the whole picture.

"It was really nothing to do with me being there" just because it wasn't explicitly said doesn't mean that's true. You don't know their routine/diet when you're NOT there.

Just because that's the food they had in/you saw whilst there doesn't mean that's what they eat all the time either. My freezer tends to be half frozen veg half convenience foods but we rarely have a "freezer" dinner, we tend to have pasta, chilli, stir fry, casserole - most of the ingredients are in my cupboards.

Young children often don't like green veg (cliché for a reason) as it can taste bitter to them. But she's clearly at least trying.

"I wasnt there though, so dont know how constructive they were raising it." Glad you acknowledge they may have not come across very well.

If you genuinely care for the whole family I can understand you keeping a wee concerned eye, but bear in mind that you don't know all that's happening, don't see them particularly often and don't understand what stress your sil is under.

I can't imagine her partner working 6 days a week is very easy for a start.

Quaza · 27/02/2018 15:28

So this information is gleaned from once a month visits and Facebook

I don’t think it’s hard to get an idea about a families diet from a weekend visit ever now and then. Assuming the OP wasn’t banned from the kitchen surely it wasn’t hard for her to get a good idea of their eating habits.

piscis · 27/02/2018 16:34

Why are you so focused in your sil and not your brother?
Surely if they took two weeks holiday, that was something they both decided? Why put all the blame on her?

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread