oh I AM, I KNOW, I am overreacting and the rest, but MIL is ANNOYING ME

[fillyjonk]

And why?

She INSISTS on my kids (aged 2 and nearly 4) wearing a bloody plastic BIB at every meal they take with her

I tried losing ours, a thoughtful Christmas present from her to us (note not her to the kids).

But she has bought more and this time carries them with her when she comes to visit so that there is no chance of either of her grandchildren going bibless for a meal.

It is turning into a stand off. At the start of each meal, including those involving only sliced apples and rice cakes, she whips out the bibs and sighs and says to the kids, "well, better get these on you, I suppose".

I am not sure WHY it annoys me so much, and I accept that I am making a mountain out of a molehill but it is SO annoying.

I could possibly cope if they were nice bibs and my kids were about half their current ages.

LOL - get one for her next time!

oooo how annoying!!! Just TELL HER that you think they're too old for them now, thank-you-very-much. Then glare at her.

One of those with a thing for catching food?

Is she worried about her floor?

I think we need a whole new topic area for In Law Problems!

How about going for the napkin tied round the neck routine - when we're out with ds, in order to achieve this with him, we all have to have our napkins tucked into our necklines - this would be the halfway house to all having plastic bibs!

YANBU - they're you're dc's and I asusme you do their washing if they get stuff on their clothes. It's difficult to tell her to mind her own business but what I do with MiL with things like this is talk to ds in front of her 'you're such a big boy now and don't drop your food so no need for bibs?' MY MiL finds it difficult to argue with me when technically I'm not talking to her!!

even better - can you get your DC's to ask (politely) that they no longer wear them? esp the 4 year old...

Can you not say that at her house they'll wear them but not in yours? Or take the attitude a lot of MILs seem to have and when she whips out the bibs say to the kids "silly granny thinking you need a bib at 4"

Would drive me mad- can't see why she feels it's her responsibility?

oh no no

this is in MY HOUSE, where we have an (old and manky) terracotta floor.

I think it quite reasonable that she insists on bibs in HER house. in her house we pretty much follow all her rules and I do insist that the kids wear bibs and eat over the 7 layers of pvc that she has placed on her carpet etc etc.

The napkin idea I have suggested, and went so far as to buy some nice ones but no, these did not pass muster.

It is essential that the bibs be plastic, pref involving some pvc, and also curved to catch the food

she then tries to get the kids to eat any food that has fallen into the bib...

Personally I'd just tell her that they weren't wearing them anymore as they're too old and that's the end of it. I am very upfront about things though.

(I think I am being either unreasonable or bloody sad to care about this, btw. But it drives me up the WALL)

ah jodie, telling my MIL things doesn't actually work. She just ignores us and does them anyway.

I don't want to drive the bib wearing underground either. That could get worrying.

Have you told her that they don't wear a bib any more?

Next time she says "Well, better get these on you, I suppose" just say "No, it's OK - we stopped using bibs a while ago" and brush them aside.

If you don't tell her then eventually the children will ... and they may not be so polite!

FJ - please tell me she doesnt ask the kids to eat what is in the bibs? seriously?
Think you have to figure out how much this annoys you and whether it is something worth raising.

I tried one of those plastic bibs with DS and it was so rigid the poor little sod could barely reach his food.

Cross posts.

In that case, bribe the children to be rude to her about them

pmsl at 7 layers of pvc at her house!

No YANBU then, your house your rules, just say isn't it brilliant your children eat so nicely they don't have to have bibs any more when they are at home, and lets show granny how well we can eat.

Then hope they don't make a huge mess...

I can see how irritating it must be then if she won't listen.

tbh there are more important things to get worked up about