There are some cases that make you wonder how far our lives are from being fictional. In today’s post, we have Reddit user u/SammyandMe35, a dad, who shared his experience with a disrespectful MIL under r/AITA. Honestly, the internet was left flabbergasted by the incident.
u/SammyandMe35 is a widower. He lost his wife, Anne, aged 34, just a few moments after she gave birth to Sammy, their first baby together. Anne had a complicated pregnancy, so he took an undetermined leave three months before little Sammy was due. Sammy is four months now and u/SammyandMe35 decided it was time for him to return to work. He confided in his mother-in-law, Sandra, aged 56, about his plans. u/SammyandMe35 had hoped to hire a nanny who would look after baby Sammy while he was at work and wondered if she could recommend one.
She offered to do it (nanny) for free. I told her she’s free to come by anytime during the day if she feels uncomfortable with a nanny looking after Sammy but she insisted on doing it herself. So I said yes and gave her a copy of the house keys. She comes 30 mins before I leave for work, and when I come home, she stays for dinner and leaves after putting Sammy to sleep.
-Reddit
Anything Free Has Strings Attached
The MIL offered to look after baby Sammy for free and the dad accepted her offer. She was punctual and took care of her grandchild well. Things were going smoothly until u/SammyandMe35 noticed that Sammy would not eat much. She would refuse to feed, and the baby formula jars were barely touched. Worried, he asked his MIL why Sammy was being fussy. The answer he received shook him to his core.
I asked Sandra about it and why Sammy’s not feeding well. She said she’s trying to breastfeed my daughter. At first I thought she was joking then I realized she wasn’t. She said Sammy needs to latch for a few minutes everyday to “activate” her milk production.
-Reddit
The MIL said that she had been trying to breastfeed her granddaughter. u/SammyandMe35 genuinely thought that she was joking but then realized she was telling the truth. The MIL continued that Sammy needed to latch every day to stimulate milk production. u/SammyandMe35 was horrified and was reeling with the disclosure. He was hopping mad.
I almost lost it, I told her she cannot do that, and she needs to stop. She said she will but I caught her again when I walked in my daughter’s room and she was forcing Sammy to latch. I confronted her and told her she’s no longer my baby’s nanny. I didn’t ask for the key back as she is still welcome to come visit anytime.
-Reddit
Read: Son Denies Estranged Dad From Seeing Dying Mom Even After “He Begged And Cried In Front Of Everyone”
Intervention Was Necessary
The dad sternly told the MIL that she needed to stop trying to breastfeed his daughter. The MIL promised that she would no longer do it. A few days after the warning, u/SammyandMe35 caught the MIL urging Sammy to latch. He was very upset and said that she was no longer allowed to be Sammy’s nanny. Since the MIL is the grandmother, he did not ask her to return the house keys. OP said that she could still come over to visit Sammy whenever she wanted. He took a week off from work to look after his baby and find a nanny. He found one but she stopped coming to work a couple of days after being hired.
I called her and she said my “Mother” fired her the day before. I asked her to describe the woman and I was livid when I realized it was Sandra. She came in my house using her key and fired my nanny.
-Reddit
Confused, he called the nanny and asked her why she did not show up to work. The nanny revealed that his ‘Mother’ had fired her the previous day. He soon found out that it was his MIL who had posed as his ‘Mother.’ She had snuck into the house using the keys and fired the nanny.
I was about to call her when she showed up and said a convoluted story like how I hired an incompetent nanny, etc. etc. I told her to leave but she refused and told me she’s calling CPS because I am endangering my child. We argued back and forth before I called the police and she was charged with trespassing
-Reddit
The MIL had crossed a line and u/SammyandMe35 was not having it. u/SammyandMe35 called the cops on his MIL, who was charged with trespassing.
She is very upset with me. My SIL and BIL are calling me ruthless and I am now second guessing myself. Have I taken it too far by calling the police? AITA?
-Reddit
The dad wonders if he is the asshole for calling the cops on his MIL. Reddit users unanimously have voted that he is not the asshole.
What Redditors Think
NTA. Her trying to breastfeed your daughter without your permission is gross and completely wrong. Beyond that she FIRED YOUR NANNY? I’d ask for your key back and set some serious boundaries.
–u/sprinklypops
And she was starving the child in addition to it because MIL wasn’t feeding formula. Let MIL call CPS. She’s the one who’ll end up with charges, not OP. Grief does not make someone starve a child. Press charges, and change the locks in case she made copies of the house key
–u/Proper_Garlic3171
Not to mention that inducing lactation doesn’t work like that. Sure, it’s possible even if you haven’t been pregnant recently, but you need to 1)take certain medications, 2)pump every 2 hours including at night, 3) continue with it for 2-3 months until you have somewhat sufficient milk production. It looks like MIL is starving her grandchild and using her for emotional support. If anyone needs to be reported to CPS it’s MIL oh and OP please change your locks!
–u/BusyTea6
The MIL may be doing this out of concern for her grandchild, but if the dad or any parent does not approve of it then she should have stopped. What do you think of the situation?
Keep Reading: Woman Refuses To Help Parents Going Through Financial Crisis Because She Was Disowned By Them 9 Years Ago
Sources
- “AITA, I had my MIL trespassed after she entered my home and fired my babysitter.” Reddit. April 2022.