Mothers-in-law come in all shapes and sizes. Some wives are blessed to have a warm relationship with their husbands’ mothers, while others have only been given a lot of patience. One of our readers, however, couldn’t handle her MIL’s idea to put milk in her baby’s eyes. Now our reader needs advice on what to do next.
We got a message from our reader.
Thank you for reaching out to us! We have some tips that you might find useful.
Have a heart-to-heart talk with your mother-in-law.
If it helps, you might want to apologize first for your outburst of anger to have a calm conversation with your MIL later. Share your feelings and concerns. Say something like, “I’ve been trying to treat my baby’s eyes for so long that it was really frustrating to find out the baby has to go through the treatment again.”
Tell her that you appreciate her help, but warn her that home remedies shouldn’t be used when it comes to a child’s health as you don’t know if the baby is allergic or not.
Set boundaries.
Set some boundaries when it comes to babysitting your child. Let your MIL know that certain decisions, especially regarding health, should be made by you and your husband. Clearly state that you rely only on professional medical advice and expect others caring for your child to do the same.
Stand firm on your decision about her not babysitting your child until she accepts your point of view. Make sure she knows that it’s not about blaming her but ensuring that your kid is healthy and safe.
Explain why her methods might not work.
Explain to your MIL that dropping milk into your baby’s eyes might not be a safe or effective remedy. If the pills or eye drops prescribed by the doctor don’t help, it’s highly unlikely that milk will do anything. Besides, since the infection got even worse, it might be a sign that something serious is happening. Consult a professional immediately and check if your baby has some kind of allergy.
Find a compromise.
You might want to give your MIL a second chance and ask her to help in different ways. There are lots of alternative ways she can contribute to your child’s well-being that also align with your preferences. You might try and ask her to come up with some non-medical activities or playtime. Let her know that she’s welcome in your house and her help is wanted as long as it doesn’t hurt the baby.
It’s great when your friends or relatives help you, however, things might become problematic if their help is unwanted. In this article, we help our reader whose friend cares too much about her husband. Our reader is confused because her friend’s intentions are unclear.