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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be annoyed by SIL making these comments towards my DD

785 replies

nhd · 15/12/2023 15:00

SIL is very much a feminist, very woke etc but to the extreme. My DD is 3.

DD is the first grandchild to ILs and first niece / nephew to my SIL. (I think) she wants to remain child free at least for now, so she sees DD as her closest small person. SIL and PIL want to take an active part in the upbringing of my DD which I'm not necessarily against - the more loving people a child is surrounded by the better in my view. SIL and I aren't very close but we have a good relationship in that we get on when we are together but wouldn't choose to hang out as a 2 without my DH or wouldn't share deep personal secrets. All this is to say that SIL is a nice person, loves DD and doesn't make these comments maliciously I think, but they still really really irritate me and I think they're harmful.

Comments that she will make:
Eg1. We are discussing schools and I mentioned in passing mixed / single sex secondary school and dating boys. SIL instantly comments "or girls if she chooses to date them!"
Eg2. SIL comes over and DD shows her some biscuits that we made that afternoon whilst DH was at football. SIL "you know, just because you're a girl doesn't mean you need to stay home and bake. You could have gone to football with Daddy if you wanted" (DD was excited to bake, she has never expressed any interest in football).
Eg3. I am helping my daughter to put on a dress (gave her a choice of 2, she picked this one) before we go to a family function. SIL comes in (we don't live together but we were driving her there so she came to our house first) and DD runs to hug her but as we've got to leave, after a few mins, I say "come on, let's finish getting dressed, you'll look so pretty". At this point DD is wearing a stained vest, PJ bottoms and one sock. SIL "that's okay, you don't have to look pretty for anyone. You look how you like! Would you like to go like this?" I'm all for giving kids choices but surely I can at least encourage my daughter to wear clean clothes and dress up for occasions? Of course I'd let her wear something else if she didn't like a dress but why put ideas in her head?
Eg4. And the "you don't have to look pretty for anyone" is an ongoing thing. I was once putting on make up before heading out for date night, SIL came over to babysit. DD started copying me, pretending to put on make up, then came up to the mirror and said "wow so pretty, like mummy!" SIL once again said to her "but remember, you don't have to ever try to put on make up or change yourself to impress a man"

OP posts:
slithytoveisascientist · 15/12/2023 18:53

I love what your SIL is saying. What's wrong with not enforcing stereotypes around your dd?

Why isn't it boyfriend or girlfriend?

Why isn't it 'let's get you looking smart / your best' rather than pretty?

pinkfun · 15/12/2023 18:54

Worrying so much about a toddler being a woman only shows how much your SIL is giving power to men. Tell her to have a drink and have a good shag and she might chill out!

YaWeeFurryBastard · 15/12/2023 18:54

JustGerroffMe · 15/12/2023 18:48

I consider myself a very strong feminist and I’ve been a SAHM.

This is your piss poor and ill-educated opinion.

Pull the other one. Being wholly financially dependent on a man is not very feminist. Did your husband also take a turn at being a SAHP? Nothing wrong with being a SAHP whatsoever, but let’s not pretend that SAHMs are role models for feminism. Come on now.

YaWeeFurryBastard · 15/12/2023 18:55

Wish44 · 15/12/2023 18:50

@YaWeeFurryBastard

raising children is an incredibly important job!

Nobody said it isn’t? Working mums also raise their children btw.

pinkfun · 15/12/2023 18:55

@YaWeeFurryBastard but if a man is a SAHP then he's lazy right? Men can't win can they?

Not19foreverpullyourselftogether · 15/12/2023 18:56

I’ve not had time to read the whole thread but I’m team SIL, she sounds like a great role model.

CHRIS003 · 15/12/2023 18:56

pinkfun · 15/12/2023 18:54

Worrying so much about a toddler being a woman only shows how much your SIL is giving power to men. Tell her to have a drink and have a good shag and she might chill out!

I know - God she sounds so boring the kind of person I would give a wide berth to - lol! She really needs to chill a bit before she has kids of her own.

Naptrappedmummy · 15/12/2023 18:56

slithytoveisascientist · 15/12/2023 18:53

I love what your SIL is saying. What's wrong with not enforcing stereotypes around your dd?

Why isn't it boyfriend or girlfriend?

Why isn't it 'let's get you looking smart / your best' rather than pretty?

What about if she’s asexual? Shouldn’t it be boyfriend, girlfriend or nobody? What if she dates somebody who is non binary? So boyfriend, girlfriend, theyfriend or nobody?

What about if she doesn’t want to look her best? Shouldn’t that be looking smart, your best, or how you feel most comfortable?

yes I’m being sarcastic

saraclara · 15/12/2023 18:57

SIL comes over and DD shows her some biscuits that we made that afternoon whilst DH was at football. SIL "you know, just because you're a girl doesn't mean you need to stay home and bake

The role of an aunt in that situation is to ooh and ah over the biscuits that her three year old niece is proud of making. Not to undermine the activity the her niece has enjoyed so much.

Seriously why on earth are so many posters cheering the aunt on?

Wish44 · 15/12/2023 18:57

@Lifeomars Im sorry that happened to you and you couldn’t let your light shine.

But I don’t think that is what OP is doing.

OP is not disagreeing with the idea of equality and feminism… she is expressing frustration at constant messaging to a 3 year old…

SouthLondonMum22 · 15/12/2023 18:57

YaWeeFurryBastard · 15/12/2023 18:54

Pull the other one. Being wholly financially dependent on a man is not very feminist. Did your husband also take a turn at being a SAHP? Nothing wrong with being a SAHP whatsoever, but let’s not pretend that SAHMs are role models for feminism. Come on now.

Exactly.

Feminism is about equality and a SAHP, which is almost always the woman enables inequality.

pinkfun · 15/12/2023 18:57

I just love how negative feminists are. L

JustGerroffMe · 15/12/2023 18:58

YaWeeFurryBastard · 15/12/2023 18:54

Pull the other one. Being wholly financially dependent on a man is not very feminist. Did your husband also take a turn at being a SAHP? Nothing wrong with being a SAHP whatsoever, but let’s not pretend that SAHMs are role models for feminism. Come on now.

I had my own money thanks, saved up for during my career. It’s not as uncommon as you might think.

Just because you can’t stretch your brain to it, doesn’t mean it’s not possible to be both. Come on now. 🙄

FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · 15/12/2023 18:58

She’s three. Who she dates is years off and it’s not unreasonable to want a child in clean clothes.

SIL is mental.

pinkfun · 15/12/2023 18:59

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Gladrags1234 · 15/12/2023 19:00

Re the pretty message....there's also something to be said for building up a girl's confidence in how she looks. I was never confident and so I ended up looking for approval in some not great places, and got into some sticky situations as a result. I think there is compromise to be had here.
I also think the messages that SIL wants to share could happen quite comfortably in general conversation as this little girl grows up. Instead of undermining her mother, SIL could simply be a good listening ear. As of course, can you as mum, @nhd 💐

Wish44 · 15/12/2023 19:00

@YaWeeFurryBastard but the man is totally dependent on the woman to raise his kids while he works outside the home

JustGerroffMe · 15/12/2023 19:00

SouthLondonMum22 · 15/12/2023 18:57

Exactly.

Feminism is about equality and a SAHP, which is almost always the woman enables inequality.

Again, I had a very lucrative and successful career and had my own money. It was NY choice.

Wind your uneducated beaks in.
so judgemental about other women’s personal and independent decisions.

Maybe other women have relied solely on their partners money, but it’s entirely possible to be a SAHM and a feminist.

Hereforthebunfights · 15/12/2023 19:01

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My guess is that you are a homophobic misogynist.

Meowandthen · 15/12/2023 19:01

Wish44 · 15/12/2023 18:20

I wonder if the the OP had a boy
would SIL make such comments?… so son is going to football with dad… would she say “oh have you thought you don’t have to go to football you could stay at home and bake?”

I doubt it! I think SIL is not
as enlightened as she thinks she is. In fact she is engaging in undermining a mother and activities that women have traditionally done and still do mostly.

You don’t know that. You are just guessing. And just because women were stuck with domestic chores for centuries, it doesn’t mean we have to keep doing them.

JustGerroffMe · 15/12/2023 19:02

Wish44 · 15/12/2023 19:00

@YaWeeFurryBastard but the man is totally dependent on the woman to raise his kids while he works outside the home

It’s literally a job. If you put your child in childcare, you pay for that care because it’s a persons job, but apparently staying off work to raise your child makes you an inferior woman to these eejits.

saraclara · 15/12/2023 19:02

Seriously, I can't imagine my three year old granddaughter running to her football playing auntie to show her some baking that she's proud of, and my daughter choosing that moment to give her what is basically a lecture.

Fortunately my daughter the auntie leads by example by kicking a ball around with my DGD on other occasions, while celebrating my DGD's achievements in every area, with love.

Meowandthen · 15/12/2023 19:02

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Quite the reach there. And rather nasty.

YaWeeFurryBastard · 15/12/2023 19:03

Wish44 · 15/12/2023 19:00

@YaWeeFurryBastard but the man is totally dependent on the woman to raise his kids while he works outside the home

Or he could use childcare like many working families, male and female?

Wish44 · 15/12/2023 19:04

@Meowandthen it’s true I don’t know that.

but it sounds like she and you have a presumption that domestic activities are
somehow inferior to other jobs….

children need raising , food needs cooking and toilets need cleaning… how
about we value those things and give those who do them the credit they are
due?

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