to think she is nuts?

[cjt110]

DS, almost 4, has chicken pox. MIL messages me.

MIL: Are you at home with DS?
Me: No, he's been at my parents today but I might be at home with him tomorrow as he can't go to nursery
MIL: That'll be nice for you to spend some time at home with DS

He has chicken pox, is feeling like shit and will be penned up in a hot, humid house. What planet is she on?

Unsure if it's a dig that I am at work and not at home but I don't care. Whilst my parents can help, and it means we can both (DH and I) be at work and not lose money/take unpaid leave, then that's what we will do.

Long story short no matter what you do, there are always negative, snipey comments

So be pleased she chose to be positive in this instance. No point looking for offence. If you want things to get better between you, you need to try to be the bigger woman.

I think that you are being overly harsh.

Does she enjoy trying to have a conversation via text? I hate it, so probably go a bit inane, especially if I know that I'm in a, can't-do-right-for-doing-wrong, situation.

Painkillers, ice-pops, bath of bicarb and mine were up for movie marathons, so it would be fun being with them.

When I was about 10 my grandmother, who lived with us, went to visit one of her daughters (my aunt) for about 2months. When she got back, she started telling me how helpful my 2 female cousins were to their mother, how good they were, how hard they worked at school etc.

This was to spur me on into trying harder myself. She continued to do it every time she got back from staying with various of her other children. How wonderful my cousins were (only the female ones, of course, she was born in the 1890s), how helpful they were, hardworking, k8nd, thoughtful etc etc etc.

As a result I kind of hated my cousins, but luckily, I had to go and stay with the first lot when I was 15ish. I found the 2 girls were OK, and quickly confided in them about what my grandmother had said. They almost exp'oded with mirth! She had been saying exactly the same things to them about me! They'd been expectong me to be ghastly, as I had expected them to be. In stead we were all pretty normal and are still pretty close now 45+years on.

Any chance this is what's happening?