mother in law

[molk]

i can't believe my mother in law has had 3 children. she is the coldest person i know. i have 2 children age 2 and 5 and she has never once played with either of them, read with them etc.. in fact she only ever criticises them. she also criticises my husband and won't stay in the room with him when i leave but follows me, then hovers over me all the time. i just feel so nervous when she comes to stay. we always go out for lunch and she scrutinises the kids behavior. last time the 2 year old couldn't stop laughing and mil was horrified. she arrives tomorrow, any coping strategies?

Play MiL bingo with your dh (or if you can't include him, back with us here...)

You get points for different things that she does.

Make a list of all the things that you expect her to say and do. The more outrageous ones have higher points.

You'll be spending all your time adding up in your head, and hoping for the next one, so you won't have so much time to feel nervous

thats a great idea. i am also worried because we got a nintendo wii 2 weeks ago and my 5 year old loves it and i let him go on after school before tea time. she will think it is dreadful, but he will kick up a fuss if i don't let him.

Ask her what her mother was like - you might get some interesting insights into her childhood! in fact, ask her about her childhood, what games she played etc - see if she can show them to your DC.

Why would you stop him going on the wii? If it's just because you don't want aggro from MIL then please don't stop him doing something he enjoys. You are the parent in all of this and you make decisions about what works best for your DC's. I love the bingo idea btw must try it out sometime

yes mil disapproval would be worse if 5 year old made a fuss, as apparently her children never had tantrums etc! she honestly said that. however she has a very poor relationship with my husband now and i think only sees us through a feeling of duty.