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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think this was totally inappropriate parenting?

490 replies

eggstremereaction · 03/04/2022 15:55

Couldn't resist the username opportunity whilst name changing but genuinely upset about what happened

2 year old had a kinder egg as a treat, had spent hours going on about it, was very excited, literally shaking and stamping his feet when the lady in the shop passed it to him at the tills (yes over reaction but he is little) anyway I don't let him open until we get gone and he's very good doesn't try and open it the car, keeps saying "I excited" and giggling, was very cute and dh and me were both laughing finding it cute

Got home, I went and got a bowl to put it in, gave it to toddler, he was happy and took it into the lounge and broke it up in the bowl. Came running in with the toy asking me to open it which I did but doing so left dog unattended around egg which he'd left on the sofa so he went running back in to eat it and it was gone and he was hysterical, so upset. I thought it was fair enough, he's two! He was excited. Yes it's only a chocolate egg but he's tiny and isn't going to react like an adult would. Dh said it was ridiculous, huge overeaction, started saying his excitement in the first place was too intense for chocolate, unhealthy reaction blah blah blah. I went to go back in the car and get him another one, shops only 5 mins and it was like 60p it doesn't matter and it'll make him happy and dh said if I dare go get him an egg I am completely undermining his parenting. So toddler just kept crying. He was saying he was sad and wanted an egg, in the end I said to dh I'm just going to get one and I jumped in the car.

Got back and could hear screaming from the driveway. Toddler was in his room (behind closed stair gate) dh saying you can come out when you stop crying. Pathetic it's an egg. I went and got toddler and took him downstairs and gave him his egg and said it is completely ok to be upset, he's not in any trouble and to just be very careful to not leave food around the dog so this doesn't happen again as I won't always be able to go get a replacement. Dh really annoyed that I undermined him and said I'm too soft and he's going to be a spoilt entitled boy. He just wanted a bloody kinder egg.

Was I unreasonable or was this really inappropriate on his part?

OP posts:
Koigarden · 05/04/2022 05:38

Yanbu and your dog will be absolutely fine.

IGotAVaxAndILikedIt · 05/04/2022 05:40

Your husband is a dickhead.

UsernameInTheTown · 05/04/2022 06:27

I only ever buy Kinder Eggs in 3s as it works out cheaper Wink. Your H sounds abusive and foul, 2 years old is no age. I'd be seriously reconsidering this relationship.

SunshineCake1 · 05/04/2022 07:44

Kinder eggs have been recalled.

TenRedThings · 05/04/2022 11:01

Your DH is a controlling idiot.

Atomiccat · 05/04/2022 13:26

@SunshineCake1

Kinder eggs have been recalled.
Just read it too, big outbreak of serious salmonella.
toomanydogsandcats · 05/04/2022 14:20

This really upset me. That poor, poor child. Why in earth would you live with someone like that.

Jannt86 · 05/04/2022 16:46

I think this is so upsetting OP because dad hasn't just had a bit of a bad day and lost it a bit (we all do that a bit) ; He clearly has no insight into the mindset and needs of a toddler and this is concerning as it'll ultimately be potentially damaging for the poor little thing x

TheGrinchsDog · 05/04/2022 19:44

[quote Dinoasaurme]@Straightupp gosh that sounds really hard for you. I'm really sorry you're dealing with this. But in my humble opinion I really do think it's not on and as PP's have said, it is abuse.

Like the pp up above @TheGrinchsDog I have experienced a lifetime of unhealthy and abusive or coercive relationships as a direct result of this style of "parenting".

Your husband is cultivating an embedded deep sense of shame within your child- shame that they are fundamentally wrong or faulty, that there is something wrong with them. This won't even be a conscious thought, just a deeply held belief which, if he is left to carry on raising your child this way, will be with her for the rest of her life (only unravelled through years of therapy in my case and still requiring daily work).

His criticisms of her and his shaming of her with the shouting or punishments will be being internalised by her. Adult children of emotionally neglectful or abusive parents carry round with them an inner critic, (their parent's voice) which chips away all day everyday about every micro decision they make, essentially saying "you're not good enough / you should be ashamed / you don't deserve X / you are not worthy" etc etc.

Also, the lack of self worth and feeling of shame will result in the adult child gravitating towards other abusive men, friends who take advantage, and even bullies in the workplace. The "blueprint" for what love and care should look like has been modelled by the parent who was abusive. Therefore the adult child simply replicates that blueprint throughout their adult life, until it destroys their life or until they hit rock bottom and there is an intervention.

Also, whilst you may feel better able to protect her if you stay with him, what that actually does is teaches her the lesson that he is ultimately right. Because whilst you may be the kind parent, you are still honouring this man by having him as your life partner and in your family home set up, and that's telling her that ultimately you condone his words and behaviours, reinforcing his bullying just by you sticking with him, even though you don't parent that way, if you see what I mean.

If he left the marriage and the family home you would look after her. He may not be allowed to look after her by himself. Even if he did, you would be the main parent and as she grew up it would be your influence and your voice she would be shaped by.

Please think about it. Sending you hugs Thanks[/quote]
All of this ^ Twice if necessary. Dino has articulated a lot of what I wanted to say and couldn't.

@RachelGreeneGreep Thank you, that's very sweet. I'll be alright.

I so wish other children didn't have to go through similar but so many do. It is life altering damage, these parents should be kept as far away from their children as possible IMO.

Solocup · 07/04/2022 00:10

Everyone needs to chill out about the dog. It’s a tiny bit of chocolate, half milk/half white. The worst would be it pukes it up.

thingymaboob · 07/04/2022 02:24

Your DH awful but the toys in kinder eggs are choking hazards and shouldn't be given to children under 3

TheVillageOfUpperDenture · 07/04/2022 02:28

what if the dog eats he second one?

00100001 · 07/04/2022 19:23

@thingymaboob

Your DH awful but the toys in kinder eggs are choking hazards and shouldn't be given to children under 3
🙄
thingymaboob · 07/04/2022 20:31

@00100001 you can 🙄 all you want but I work with children (HCP) and have treated a child who has choked on a kinder egg toy.

FrankLeeSpeaking · 07/04/2022 22:44

And in fairness, kinder eggs are banned in the USA due to choking hazard. They probably are- the parts are tiny.

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