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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To leave early after my dad told off my son?

312 replies

Sparklesbigtoe · Today 08:01

Will try & keep this brief cos I didn’t get many replies on my longer one and I’d really like to know if I’m overreacting or not. 5 yo DS & I are staying with my dad for a few days. Yesterday while we’re eating dinner he raised his voice (not quite shouted) at him & told him he has no manners and he doesn’t want to eat dinner with him again and that he needs to go straight to bed. DS wouldn’t sit still, kept getting up and burping at the table. All bad behaviour I know and I was dealing with it but my dad butts in. He goes on at him so much DS starts crying. He then suggests I’m not bringing him up properly and not teaching him any manners, says DS is rude for ignoring him earlier that day when he asked him a question (I wasn’t there but he wouldn’t have ignored him, he may have not understood or frozen out of shyness, which happens sometimes). I took DS to bed and went to bed with him and haven’t seen my dad since. I feel extremely unwelcome here now and just want to go home. Problem is we’re in rural Wales and the only way we can leave is to have my dad drive us to the train station. We’re due to stay till Sunday. What would you do? If I end up staying, what do I say to him today? He’ll never apologise to me or ds or admit he was in the wrong.

OP posts:
blueysmum88 · Today 17:15

Londonrach1 · Today 17:09

Yabu. At 5 he was rude to keep burping. You need to teach him basic table manners. Apologize to your dad and start parenting your son

She was parenting him. She told him it was wrong and also said it was out of character. But don’t let that get in the way of you trying to shame someone for your own weird reasons.

EligibleTern · Today 17:17

I'm never on the side of overbearing, domineering bullies, no matter how in the right they might be.

Rocknrollstar · Today 17:17

Sparklesbigtoe · Today 08:01

Will try & keep this brief cos I didn’t get many replies on my longer one and I’d really like to know if I’m overreacting or not. 5 yo DS & I are staying with my dad for a few days. Yesterday while we’re eating dinner he raised his voice (not quite shouted) at him & told him he has no manners and he doesn’t want to eat dinner with him again and that he needs to go straight to bed. DS wouldn’t sit still, kept getting up and burping at the table. All bad behaviour I know and I was dealing with it but my dad butts in. He goes on at him so much DS starts crying. He then suggests I’m not bringing him up properly and not teaching him any manners, says DS is rude for ignoring him earlier that day when he asked him a question (I wasn’t there but he wouldn’t have ignored him, he may have not understood or frozen out of shyness, which happens sometimes). I took DS to bed and went to bed with him and haven’t seen my dad since. I feel extremely unwelcome here now and just want to go home. Problem is we’re in rural Wales and the only way we can leave is to have my dad drive us to the train station. We’re due to stay till Sunday. What would you do? If I end up staying, what do I say to him today? He’ll never apologise to me or ds or admit he was in the wrong.

Why haven’t you taught your DS table manners in the first place? Surely you have been to your parents before and know their expectations of table manners? I became aware of MiLs expectations (without her actually saying anything) very early on and was quite grateful as it made us make sure our DC had excellent table manners.

backformoreofthesame · Today 17:20

She told him it was wrong and that was clearly and repeatedly utterly ineffective

she told him he wouldn’t get pudding and it was ineffective

she needs to find effective ways to teach the child to behave not just telling him it’s wrong. Some children respond to that, many others see it as weak parenting

remove him from the table
speak more sharply at him - clearly that’s never happened before
or chose a “no” something the child actually cares about - clearly the child wasn’t bothered by the pudding or knew he’d get it anyway

BlueMum16 · Today 17:22

Sparklesbigtoe · Today 10:07

Thank you. That’s helpful :) I’m thinking I’ll just stay cos the alternative is more awkward! I’ll have to bring it up with him cos they’ll just be a giant elephant in the room otherwise and he will pretend nothing’s happened. I don’t want to say sorry though cos DS already said sorry last night and my dad sees the word sorry as a massive weakness and will never say it himself. I always found myself apologising for things that weren’t my fault just to appease him in the past and I don’t want to do it anymore. In general DS is very attached to me and he’s shy. He has a habit of not saying good morning or hello back to people if they say it to him. I’ve been trying really hard to get him to do this for a year but he really struggles with it. My dad gets annoyed cos he sees it as rude, which obviously it does come across as, but he’s still very little and just freezes out of shyness sometimes

It sounds like neither is used to each other.

Your dad doesn't try and communicate with DS and your DS doesn't know how to communicate with adults.

Sounds like you need to encourage them both to have better conversations to develop their relationship.

BuildbyNumbere · Today 17:46

Thestealer · Today 16:54

Did you read the OPs updates?

No I didn't think so.

Updates … or excuses!
Should all be in original post … drip feed over 13 pages, pointless

BuildbyNumbere · Today 17:47

blueysmum88 · Today 17:15

She was parenting him. She told him it was wrong and also said it was out of character. But don’t let that get in the way of you trying to shame someone for your own weird reasons.

Edited

What OP said and what actually happened are two different things … sounds like OP makes excuses for her child’s behaviour and her parenting style.

BuildbyNumbere · Today 17:48

JudgeJ · Today 14:46

Updates almost always change the story when the OP's not getting much support, I wonder why?

Agree. People tell OP she is wrong … suddenly there is a big he backstory of bullying and controlling behaviour. Anyone heard of discipline or is that no longer allowed?!?

BuildbyNumbere · Today 17:50

thepariscrimefiles · Today 10:30

By a grandparents who abused his own daughter when she was a child?

So she says … or insisted his daughter behave?

BuildbyNumbere · Today 17:54

Thestealer · Today 12:02

A 5 year old messing about at the table doesn't mean he's going to end up a wrong 'un.

Don't be so bloody dramatic.

No, but if she can’t discipline and parent him correctly at the dinner table then doesn’t give much hope for the other areas if his life.

OneFineDay22 · Today 18:08

EligibleTern · Today 17:17

I'm never on the side of overbearing, domineering bullies, no matter how in the right they might be.

I agree! So many posters seem to be missing the point.

OneFineDay22 · Today 18:09

BuildbyNumbere · Today 17:47

What OP said and what actually happened are two different things … sounds like OP makes excuses for her child’s behaviour and her parenting style.

How could you possibly know what happened?

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