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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Aggressive MIL still wants me to facilitate contact with my 6 month old

337 replies

DonnyBurrito · 15/02/2022 17:17

Sorry this is a long post, I didn't want to drip feed through comments.

My MIL has recently threatened me via a WhatsApp voice note sent to DP, calling me all the abusive names under the sun and saying how I need to be careful or she'd 'be paying me a visit'. This was due to an argument over WhatsApp I had with SIL, which was in no way aggressive on either of our parts, we just don't see eye to eye on things relating to my DS who is 6 months old. It was a disagreement that got heated, we were both a bit shitty to one another, and we agreed to not speak again for the forseeable. She then immediately ran off to her mummy to tell her we'd fallen out. MIL then proceeded to rant and rave at my DP all morning about how awful I am and how he needed to 'grow some balls' and 'make a decision', and then aggressively threatened me. I have her number blocked on my phone as I've found her way too stressful and demanding to deal with since having DS, otherwise I'm sure she would have contacted me directly.

I'd just like to say at this point that I don't have these kind of disagreements or fallings out with ANYONE else other than this particular family! They are all pretty unpleasant, and MIL has made many enemies over the years. I digress...

This isn't the first time she's sent abusive voice notes to DP. Just before Christmas she sent him 3 horrible voice notes, emotionally abusing him, calling him abusive names and threatening to smack him in the mouth. Not out of character for her, she's been awful to him since he was a child. She even admitted she thought he was a PITA as a baby. After Christmas she told DP that she doesn't give a shit about him, she just wants to see DS.

The constant breakdowns in our relationship with her always come down to her demanding that we bring our DS to see her, regardless of how inconvenient it is for us all, including the baby. She refuses to visit him at our house. We say no, we can't visit you today. She gets angry, DP gets angry, and I get stressed and wish I'd found a man with a nicer mum.

She has now said I'm not welcome at her house, which is obviously fine by me as I don't like it at her house anyway, but she still wants me to bring DS round to hers so she can see him. I'm the only one who drives at the moment, so I would have to drop him and DP off and then go hang around somewhere nearby and wait until I get a call off DP to come and feed him/pick them up. He still breastfeeds on demand for both milk and comfort - DS that is, not DP 😁

MIL will be supervised by DP obviously, but it feels very unnatural to leave my baby with a women who has threatened me and my DP and shown us nothing but disrespect since DS was born. I don't want to do her any favours by running my son around for her, and then disappearing off so she doesn't have to deal with me.

Also, her small house (1 bed bungalow) is always very chaotic and loud, with lots of people scrunched into the tiny front room, TV blaring and her older grandchildren running around screeching and not listening to any adults. The two times in the past I have taken DS round and left him there without me he's got very distressed, verging on inconsolable (he is never like this anywhere else), but MIL disagrees that it's because it's too loud with too many strangers, and that it's because I have babied him too much and he just needs to get used to the chaos.

DS spends 90% of his time with me, and sees his dad a few hours a day before he goes to work and then at weekend. He isn't as attached to his dad, so I don't want to leave him somewhere he has previously gotten very distressed, without being allowed in to comfort him myself.

So... AIBU?

YANBU - to insist on staying with DS if MIL wants to see him.

YABU - DP can look after DS fine for an hour or two on his own.

OP posts:
TTstormtrooper · 15/02/2022 17:45

*now

HandWash · 15/02/2022 17:46

Why would you leave your tiny baby with someone so abusive? In what way is she a positive influence on his or any of your lives?

MrsTrumpton · 15/02/2022 17:46

You are behaving as though your MIL has access rights to your child! She doesn't. Why on earth are you enabling her awful behaviour? Don't take your baby round to see her full stop and get your DP some counselling so he can see how she's been emotionally abusing him for his entire life. Then both go NC.

ThePoint678 · 15/02/2022 17:47

Just do nothing.

OurChristmasMiracle · 15/02/2022 17:47

I think you are being unreasonable to allow this woman access to your child. You already admit she was abusive to your DP don’t allow her the chance to abuse your child. She feels no way about abusing you or your DP.

I would cut contact personally

Dartsplayer · 15/02/2022 17:50

Option C - she'd never see my child ever again

CallmeHendricks · 15/02/2022 17:50

What they all said. She doesn't get to see your son at all whilst behaving like this.

But this: "This was due to an argument over WhatsApp I had with SIL, which was in no way aggressive on either of our parts, we just don't see eye to eye on things relating to my DS who is 6 months old."
Why do you need to see eye to eye with your sil about YOUR baby? Your child, so your opinion is the only one that matters, surely?

godmum56 · 15/02/2022 17:51

Tell your mil she will see your baby over your dead body and tell your partner the same. Easy.

FantasticFebruary · 15/02/2022 17:51

@DonnyBurrito

She'd be absolutely nowhere near my baby & DH would be told to make his mind up FAST about whether he wanted a relationship with me or that toxic bitch. Because both is not possible.

The N/C with MIL/SIL/any other toxic twat me & BABY.

FruminariaBandersnatcheosum · 15/02/2022 17:52

No to all of it and I would move away as well.

Soontobe60 · 15/02/2022 17:52

If she’s so awful, why would you want your ds to see her at all?

Gizacluethen · 15/02/2022 17:52

Why on earth would you facilitate contact with her? Why does your DP want to?! She's a nasty prick.

Soontobe60 · 15/02/2022 17:52

Also, why does your dh want to see her? She threatened to smack him in the mouth!

BurbageBrook · 15/02/2022 17:53

Good grief, in the nicest way possible, you do need to get some balls gumption OP. Of course you don’t leave your DS with her. She sounds like a lunatic. And just say no to your DP, who should be supporting you!

Elieza · 15/02/2022 17:53

I’d go option C as well.

She made her sons life difficult and upsetting and how she will do the same to his sons life.

Hell no.

Step in and get your partner told to man up and just say no to his mother. That you do not want your son going through what he went through.

He is probably still subconsciously desperate for her approval, hence his badly thought out plan of action as he won’t even think he does. But he does. He needs counselling tbh.

In the meantime say no.

StripeyDeckchair · 15/02/2022 17:53

No
She can come to your house to see your son. That's it, end of.
She needs to know in advance that any abuse or bad behaviour, in person on social media or anything else then she eont be coming to your house.

No way would I be jumping to her tune, facilitating DP& DS seeing her when I wasn't allowed in the house.

Hang around nearby until DP is ready to leave? No way.

You DP better have your back over this - MIL sounds awful

Totalwasteofpaper · 15/02/2022 17:54

@TurquoiseDragon

I'm not going to vote either way.

I vote for option C, cutting contact with MIL.

She makes threats to you and your DP, why on earth would you want your DS to have a relationship with her? She can demand you visit all she likes, but you don't have to go, and neither does your DS.

In fact, keep all the threats in case you need a restraining order.

Yes this is all nuts.
Purplecatshopaholic · 15/02/2022 17:54

@dementedpixie

So also C cut contact
Another vote for this.
lucythejuicy · 15/02/2022 17:54

Do you want your child poisoned by this woman. No she doesn't get to call the shots here

StaplesCorner · 15/02/2022 17:55

I suspect the DP does very much not have the OP's back in this, and I bet she's coming back on in a minute to tell us as much.

gingerbiscuits · 15/02/2022 17:55

@KindredKeely

why the fuck would you even entertain her?

never mind drop off the most precious thing in the world to you for her care.

step back, silence her on his phone, just back off.

i wouldn't even entertain a discussion on this - you don't want toxic unstable people near you if you can help it, nvm your DC.

This!⬆️
HollowTalk · 15/02/2022 17:56

I read that twice, looking for the option where you tell her to fuck off and never see her again. Why on earth would you let your baby anywhere near that woman?

WallaceinAnderland · 15/02/2022 17:56

You should both be protecting your child from this toxic woman. What's wrong with you!

billy1966 · 15/02/2022 17:57

@Mummytobe93

So she’s been abusive to you & your husband yet you want to continue the relationship between her and your child? Why?
She has no rights to have anything to do with your baby.

Why would you want an abusive woman in your child's life?

Bring her threats to your family to the attention of the police.

I feel very sorry for children like your baby, who have parents who insist on a relationship with a clearly nasty abusive grandparent.

Why on earth would you do this?

Grandparents are wonderful when they are nice kind decent people.

Your MIL is none of those things.

Perhaps reflect why what this abusive woman wants is more important to you on what is best for your baby?

It doesn't bode well for the future if you can't see that your baby shouldn't be within a 100 miles of this abuser.

Flowers
LesleyA · 15/02/2022 17:57

I think you’ve got a great sense of humour. Well done for finding it despite these awful circumstances. Your role as mother is to nurture and protect. Definitely definitely don’t even consider it. I can’t think of the author but please Google the author of Chicken Little the sky isn’t falling down and read about brain development during the first 3 years and how it affects adolescence and just life in general. It might not be in that book but by that author. Tell the grandmother to get knotted and find some lovely older friend lady to be grandmother by choice. If your child has any genetic predisposition to similar family traits you can actually neutralise these so they don’t get switched on. Read or listen to the author

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