Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

For not wanting to go to MIL's house

13 replies

RaisingZ · 21/06/2023 23:16

I've always really struggled with warming to MIL. She's a person with no boundaries and doesn't care if she upsets someone. I always feel anxious going to her house.

I don't know what it is, but DD (11 months) has never been settled with her and cries hysterically every time MIL holds her. MIL has taken this very personally and always bangs on about how DD "doesn't like" her.

She now seems to have become obsessed with the idea that she can't give DD back to me when she's crying as she needs to "get used to her" and to hand her back straight away would be "spoiling" her. She literally refuses to give me my own child back. It is now at the point where I have to actually take DD from her. I've raised this with DH several times but he seems to take his mum's side saying that she "needs to learn" to be comfortable with MIL. I think this is ridiculous. If my child wants to come to me then she should be able to.

Yesterday was the last straw. MIL was holding DD and as usual, the crying began. It got worse and worse until DD was completely hysterical, panting heavily and screaming. She was holding her arms out for me and MIL said "no you can't go to mummy, you see her everyday". At this point I took DD from her and left shortly after.

When explaining the situation to DH, I said I do not want to go back to MIL's house again until she can assure me that she will give DD back to me if she wants me. DH thinks I'm being dramatic and is now saying that DD has an insecure attachment and echoed his mum's statement that I'm "spoiling her". Am I being dramatic for not wanting to go back there?

Just want to add, DD goes to most people. I don't know what it is about MIL that makes her so upset.

OP posts:
Daffodil92 · 21/06/2023 23:19

No. She is 11 months old for gods sake, you can’t “spoil” a baby if that she.
MIL is overstepping boundaries and undermining you as a mum. Your husband is a wet blanket for not supporting you. YANBU.

Gwenfornow · 21/06/2023 23:22

YANBU
I wouldn’t return.

LovedmyRaleighChopper · 21/06/2023 23:22

And how much does DH love the things that were introduced to him while he was crying hysterically? Idiot. They’re both setting her up for a long lasting dislike of your MIL instead of a little reluctance she could be coaxed out of with a lighter touch. YANBU unless for letting it get to the stage where DD was hysterical.

UncleHerbie · 21/06/2023 23:23

What a harridan! YANBU whatsoever. And to quote MN, you have a DH problem. He should be supporting you and your baby. However there’s no need TLTB 😉

Curseofthenation · 21/06/2023 23:24

Oh hell no. I wouldn't be going to her house without her telling me in person that it will not happen again. What a nutjob.

isthisreallyit70 · 21/06/2023 23:27

I'm saying this from a very knowledgable level of understanding of attachment. Believe me, what your 11 month is displaying is healthy attachment. He really won't want real attachment issues by continuing this behaviour.

You're in the right here.

Raindropsarefallingheavily · 21/06/2023 23:28

I think you need to give mil her baby back. Ltb.

He is party to abusing your dd here...
What a cunt...

AnneLovesGilbert · 21/06/2023 23:31

What sort of utter twat puts an adult’s feelings and wishes above his baby’s needs. He’s pathetic and incredibly stupid. His mother is a bitch. You did the right thing by leaving and you’re doing the right thing by not going back.

They’re meant to love and cherish your baby, they’re doing the opposite.

Fwiw I had something very similar with a relative, she once tried to take baby DD off me and I told her to back off, she threw a tantrum (relative, not the baby) and it made me resistant to letting her anywhere near us.

Marblessolveeverything · 21/06/2023 23:31

I admire your self control, because if anyone held my child from me I would not be responsible for my actions.

Boundaries now and tell DH he is more than happy to go live with mil.

GodspeedJune · 21/06/2023 23:36

Yanbu. You don’t have to hand her to MIL at all, how dare she refuse to hand your baby back. Her and your husband are encouraging the fear by forcing the baby to be held by her, if they just backed off baby would likely come round in her own time.

LordSalem · 22/06/2023 00:30

MIL comes to your house from now on, when she is invited to do so. If she wants to hold baby then tell her that by all means she's welcome to hold your DH and give him back when she's had enough of him. Your child, your rules. Also applies to DH. If he wants to pander to his mummy then he's welcome to do so but you'll be caring for your own child and you didn’t sign up for a manbaby and his mummy also. Fuck the pair of them. Weird fucking priorities going on here. You are the only one with them in order. It's hard enough without this bollocks going on! Nip it in the bud as fast as possible, or it'll get even more out of hand as time goes on.

StrawBeretMoose · 22/06/2023 00:32

They sound like a horrible pair.

I would absolutely not be going to MILs and nor would my child. And DH would need to start prioritising DD.

Your DD builds a secure attachmemt by feeling secure. If she cries and you take her you teach her security. If she cries and you leave her with MIL that doesn't make DD feel secure. And it demonstrates that MIL is awful, putting her own wants before the feelings of a baby who's not even one.

With my DC of anyone said they 'had to learn' anything which was usually something that upset them, I questioned whether a) the really did need to learn it and if they did b) did it have to be right now or could it wait?
But when the answer to a) is no, as in this case, you don't even get to b).

Ceci03 · 22/06/2023 00:39

Stand your ground your instinct is soooo right. I remember when I brought my first baby home from the hos and mil was "showing" me how to bath her and the baby was crying after her bath and I went to feed her and she said no you mustn't feed her she has to straight into her basket after the bath so she gets into a routine. Baby was a few days old! I remember being scared and waiting til mil left and then grabbing my dd and feeding and comforting her. Always trust ur instinct

New posts on this thread. Refresh page