AIBU to refuse my mother-in-law keeping my daughter's first tooth?

[GalileoFigaro]

DD just turned 7 has a wobbly tooth. Her first one.
My smother in law said that she was going to pull it out for her when she next saw her AND she was going to keep it in her little box where she has all her 3 children's milk teeth.

AIBU to say no she isn't? I feel that the tooth shouldn't be pulled and will fall out when it's good and ready. Also I'd quite like to keep my own child's tooth as a keepsake (a lot of mums do that, right?

AIBU and being precious or is MiL overstepping?

Neither of you should be keeping teeth. And it's especially more immature to be competing with each other over them!
As for pulling it out, tell your daughter to tell her NO, and no not open her mouth. That is a dangerous thing to do.

Your MiL kept her children’s teeth..she didn’t give them to her MiL . So why should you as mother not keep your own children’s teeth. There’s no logic to her.
I kept the first one of each, but over time/ moving house chucking out, they disappeared…or maybe the tooth fairy really did take them , but then, that first lock of hair would not be gone, too, 😁

She has a nerve..overstepping is putting it mildly and she’d never see my kids again if she tried that on.

I remember keeping them as a little child and later throwing them away (probably as a teen).

but many people do keep locks of hair. Baby‘s first haircut etc. That’s quite sweet imo.. So I‘m not sure why I view teeth differently. 🤔😅

I'm not squeamish about it, I just think it's a bit weird.

Just say NO.

When MIL needs an explanation ask her whether her own MIL kept the milk teeth of your DH etc.

Dentist usually likes baby teeth to stay until ready, as they keep a spot for new tooth.

In a few years, once Tooth Fairy has left coins, you could offer MIL just one tooth from your child rather than throwing it out - if she is still keen to label and collect a tooth from family children.

Wierd!!!!
I find it wierd people keep teeth 🫠🫠🫠 even when you’re mum it’s wierd.

I have just messaged my 25 year old to see how he would feel about being presented with a box of teeth - awaiting update!
Ps very glad that many of you are agreeing with the serial killer vibe!

My mum kept my umbilical cord apparently 😂 then got really upset with my grandma (her MIL) when she was cleaning our house and threw it away 😂

MIL is way out of line. im a gran and would ever think of doing that. pulling her tooth before its ready is a no no and so is keeping it!!

I think it has Victorian death memento vibes. But the Victorians seemed a bit obsessed with death.

I thought the Tooth Fairy took them. Have I been mistaken all these years? 🧚‍♀️

Smother in law 😂

Not sure if that was intentional, but I like it.

She’s batshit! And it should certainly come out of its own accord. Interfering old ………..!

Uh oh. I crawled around on the floor of a soft play centre to retrieve two traumatically lost milk teeth so I could keep them 😬

How will her tooth fairy leave coin under her pillow if it isn’t there?

It was intentional. I've referred to her as that for a while now hehe

If she pulls it out she may have a gap for ages and not get a new one! Plus it isn’t hers to pull ffs! Also they get put under the pillow for the tooth fairy right? The tooth fairy is you obviously

When my daughter lost her first tooth we did the tooth fairy thing at home as you'd expect. Then, the next time we went to see my in-laws, my MIL handed her a £2 coin and said that it was from her tooth fairy. My daughter was so confused and didn't understand why her gran had a tooth fairy. She asked me later if her gran's teeth were falling out and she really sounded quite worried about it!

Little rituals like this should just be left to the parents (or whoever the child lives with).

Your smother in law is deranged! I would really struggle not to tell her that if she assaults my child pulls a tooth out of my child’s mouth, I will reciprocate and remove some of her teeth in return! 😡 Eugh! Bad enough that she’s stomping all over what should be nuclear family tradition territory but threatening to pull a tooth from a child just so she can add to her creepy collection…<shudders>. …overstepping and frankly I wouldn’t be leaving my kid alone with her again in case she gets any other ideas…

Agree. I believe she will definitely pull it and then it will "accidentally" go missing. Don't see her till the tooth falls out, and put it away somewhere.

I wouldn't want to keep it so wouldn't have a problem with mil keeping it.

Would ask her not to pull it.

With grandmothers like this I think you should ask “why didn’t [name of her MIL] do that with your children?”

I agree with pp ask why she has her kids teeth and not their grandmother?

Also, I'm so glad so many people DONT keep teeth. I thought it was expected and felt like a shit mum that I don't want to keep all that crap. My mum had boxes and boxes of our stuff, teeth, cord, hair, art, school reports. I don't want a loft full of their childhood or manky body parts.

Many years ago, I bought an old singer sewing machine for my mother. The little hidden cubby was full of treasures, several rings, a pendant with a semiprecious stone, a lock of hair and a large handful of teeth. Looking back, perhaps we should have contacted the police, just in case. We didn’t really think about them and just assumed that they were a parent’s inexpensive mementos.

Update - son said he would be appalled if I presented him with a bag of teeth - ew!