My in-laws are good, worthy people. But boy do they rile me up when it comes to my children.
My mother-in-law in particular suffers from (a) a lack of tact, and (b) a lack of boundaries. On a bad day, I can silently (and when she has gone, not-so-silently) wish that she never had to set foot over my threshold again. On a good day, I can take a deep breath and let it go.
Today was a bad day. I am not in a good mood. My tummy is cramping and I’m grumpy. Everything is a bit of an effort.
So when my mother-in-law waltzed in at 7.30am (that in itself is ridiculous), went to the bathroom, soaked a flannel, came back out into the living room and started wiping BabyBoy’s and BabyGirl’s faces and hands, I was confused. What was she doing? Did I miss something? Had they got into the paints without me noticing?
I raised an eyebrow at Multidaddy.
‘Oh,’ he murmured. ‘She thinks their faces should be washed in the morning.’
At that point, my head began to explode. So this….woman….is implying I don’t wash my children’s faces….is implying I am not caring for my children properly…..BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES, ANGRY MOTHER IS ABOUT TO MAKE AN APPEARANCE.
It is things like this which is why I have to limit contact with my in-laws. Even on good days.