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Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Mother-in-law is trying to replace me as mum

9 replies

Blondesthanna · 26/08/2012 16:14

This may sound paranoid or overly dramatic but theres a lot of evidence to support my fear. My MIL (though not legal yet) is always calling O "her little boy" tries to make decision and get involved when we're having private meetings with health visitors etc. She's oftening calling herself mum instead of Granny - yes she could still be adjusting to being a grandparent - but recently she's started calling me Hanna to my son instead of Mummy like she did at first.
There was clearly of a different parenting class than us so I get that we'd experience some clashes. For example she's always telling me off "I never left my sons to cry" (I don't leave O for ages but sometimes he has to wait while i finish making his milk etc). But she's more than just over-bearing. My partner and I moved just before I gave birth but our house-hunting went off track when I had a difficult labour and have been ill since (I'm now recovering from surgery) but so we're leaving with her and her partner. But she doesn't work so she's always around and while I hide in our room and try not to take over their house with baby stuff she just walks into our room. O can never be alone, she'll find him and particularly just before bedtime (which she doesn't believe in) winds him up. She ignores all my "rules" about not wanting to give him solid foods she wanted to a 2+ months and kept buying him food saying "poor boy was starving" - he's not! Similarly if he's having a down point where whatever you do he cries it's "give him calpol" - I'm worried about her babysitting because I discover the calpol bottle moves.
To avoid conflict at first I got really wound up trying to get O to stop crying quickly or not cry at all so she wouldn't hear and barge in/take him off me/or make a bitchy comment. I spoke to my DP and to be fair he has tried to tell her we're parenting our way and that we're his parents but she's oblivious. To be honest he's getting more and more frustrated with her as he doesn't feel she was the best of mother's paying more attention to his Brother.
We're moving out which will solve some of the problems and i've put my foot down saying O will go to nursery because interaction with other children will help him but she's always moved around following her sons as they went off to uni etc. We're moving away from all my friends and family which I'm ok about but not if she's stalking us.
I've been having nightmares about it for weeks now, when I was at my sickest and the doctors told me to go to hospital she wouldn't take me and said that she'd call an ambulance, an hour later we discovered she hadn't. When I was finally in hospital I know my partner needed help but he had to stop her giving O squash and processed food mashed up.
I think this whole thing has set the tone for our relationship now and I don't know how to fix it if it can be.

OP posts:
wolvesdidit · 26/08/2012 16:38

God, that is terrible. Get far far away as soon as possible and keep her at arm's length from now on. She sounds really dreadful. In fact, she does sound like she isdeliberately trying to cause problems.

CogitoErgoSometimes · 26/08/2012 16:47

There has to be a proverb somewhere about the dangers of two women under the same roof because IME it always turns nasty, even if you start out best mates. Move out, preferably as far away as possible, and don't give her a key to your home. In the meantime, present a united front and keep telling her to butt out.

TidyDancer · 26/08/2012 16:48

Oh man, I'm sorry but this sounds like the early days of The Little House. Scary MIL.

Move as soon as you can and keep her at arms length for good. No unsupervised access (and by that I mean either your or DH must be there at all times).

sittinginthesun · 26/08/2012 16:52

Blimey! Move away, don't give her a key, set up a few ground rules about visits, and be firm. I'm not particularly confrontational normally, but I would seriously have a firm word after you move. Tell her that your child needs a grandmother, not another mother, and she has to back off.

Robomummy · 26/08/2012 16:52

I'm glad your OH is being supportive. I had some similar problems, with my mum rather my MIL. when you are in your own place it is easier to set boundaries, let MIL know she is welcome to see you on certain days or if you agree plans in advance. make sure you fill your time up so your are not always in if she pops round - children's centres were great when I needed to get out the house.
Hope your situation gets better

PrimrosePath · 26/08/2012 16:57

It will be so much easier when you are in your own home. You don't have to let her in for a start.

Is there anyone you can stay with for a few days in the meantime to give to a bit of breathing space?

TheOnceLer · 27/08/2012 07:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

sassyandsixty · 27/08/2012 07:43

I went through this thirty years ago, though not as seriously. Others have already said it, but move out and set very firm boundaries for all her future involvement. Thirty years on, to me it all seems to be about a sad, unfulfilled woman trying to big herself up by bossing someone else around, undermining a younger woman (me), trying to justify her own life and the way she did things (mostly way out of date and some downright dangerous etc). She even sometimes referred to my kids by her own kids' names (ie my DP and his brother) - a right old mix up. Sad! I ended up shouting at her bigtime, which I'm not proud of, but at least she took notice of me. She lost interest when the kids hit their teens.

NervousAt20 · 27/08/2012 07:51

I agree with what everyone else has said on this thread

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