My mother-in-law came into the ward after I had my baby and started yelling at me and my baby girl. I couldn’t stand it any longer and made the decision to do something.
From the start, my relationship with my mother-in-law was not good. She said straight out that she didn’t think I was “good enough” for her child. She kept telling me I was doing things wrong, like how I cooked, cleaned, or even dressed.
She likes to bring up my husband’s ex-girlfriend and remark, “She was a real homemaker, not you.” She would even call my husband at work and tell him that I was “too cold” to his family.
It grew worse when I found out I was pregnant. My mother-in-law didn’t seem happy about her future grandchild; instead, she began to look into it. She asked my husband a lot of questions and suggested that I had been pregnant by another man.
She told family members that the timing of my pregnancy was “suspicious,” and at dinners she made fun of the thought that the kid might look like the neighbor. I was very wounded by what they said, but I stayed quiet for my husband’s and the baby’s sake.
It was finally the day I had been waiting for: I gave birth.
We have a beautiful daughter. I was tired on the ward, but I was also happy. My husband was with me for the first several hours, but then he left for a brief while to get my things. I convinced myself that things would be different and that my mother-in-law would be heartbroken when her grandchild came.
But the door opened, and she was there. There was no smile, no flowers, or even a simple “congratulations.” She started her attack with the opening words:
“I knew it!” she said with joy. “This baby isn’t my son’s!”
I attempted to calmly say no:
What a bunch of garbage. Look at her; she has the same nose as her dad.
My mother-in-law made fun of me in a mean way:
A nose? Is that right? Anyone might have the same nose! You’re a liar and a woman with a broken heart! You broke our home and made my son unhappy!
I froze and hugged my baby close to my chest. But instead of stopping, she cried, “Look at yourself!” louder.
Do you think you’re a mom? You don’t even look like a bride-to-be. You look dirty, greasy, and have black circles under your eyes. And this—she pointed at the baby—this is a mistake that will make him lie like you!
When she started making fun of my daughter, I lost it. I couldn’t help myself, and I’m glad I did what I did. I’m telling my story here, and you can judge if I was correct.
Her comments hurt like a dagger. I could talk about anything else, but not my new baby. She was only a few hours old, and people were already making fun of her. I felt like something inside me broke.
Even though I was in pain and weak from giving birth, I made myself get out of bed. I pressed the nurse’s call button and said, ”
– Get this lady out of my room. And don’t ever let her back in.
As soon as she left, I called my husband and told him everything. That day I made a clear choice: this “grandmother” would never be in my daughter’s life.