Grandma Demands To Have Alone Time With Grandchild But Mum Says No Way

A new mother is having to find ways to tell her mother in law NO after she demands to have alone time with her three week old son. “All she does is shove her phone in his face to take pictures or Facetime family and continually shout his name in his face,” she says. What would you do?

Writing into advice forum Mumsnet the mum says her MIL is so needy and demanding that she doesn’t know how to handle her. “MIL is annoyed and causing a fuss because she hasn’t had alone with my three-week-old baby,” she wrote.

“She hasn’t looked after a baby since her youngest over 30 years ago, and even then she had a nanny she palmed her children off to. When she has been with DS [darling son] all she does is shove her phone in his face to take pictures or Facetime family and continually shout his name in his face. She won’t change his nappy either.”

Desperate to find a solution, the mum is seeking advice from others that may have been in the same situation.

“How can I allow her to have alone time when she cannot feed him (he is breastfed and she has already had a go at me that he’s not on bottles because she wants to feed him), she will not change his nappy and she does not keep him entertained.

AIBU [am I being unreasonable] to not give her alone time? I don’t mind the odd half hour if I am in the house and DS can have a feed or nappy change if he needs it. But she wants me to leave DS with her for complete alone time.”

Commenters agreed that the MIL’s behaviour was very weird. “He’s three weeks old! You do not give her alone time,” one wrote. “The fact that she is demanding it would mean I would not be giving her alone time. I think it’s very weird to be honest.”

“Complete alone time is just weird, especially as she can’t meet basic needs. But even if she could, it’s still just weird. Why do grandparents go crazy like this… Tell her to f**k off,” said another.

Many mums felt the woman’s pain and warned her against getting the MIL used to doing whatever she wanted. “Don’t pander to her,” they warned.

“This is a newborn baby… three weeks old and breastfed. She is crazy and selfish wanting ‘alone time’ with the baby so she can play mother,” another wrote.

“Let your husband set her straight by saying NO. Your child, your rules. Ignore MIL’s tantrum and tell your husband to tell her to pack it in,” suggested one user.

What do you think? Do you agree?

Images: Pixabay