Blue Cat

I know he is here though, I am just sick of everything, if I say No to something WW3 breaks out!

Lorna at Vicenza

Your kids, your rules! They had their go. Different age, different things. Take care of your family your way.

Kix

Which is a fair comment, however if he's anything like my father he's a cantankerous old miserable git!

Lorna at Vicenza

I know - it's easier said than done.

Blue Cat

it is that

lullabelle

It's hard. My mum interferes all the bloody time but I love her so I just remind her to back off.

She cut my son's hair when my kids stayed with her for three weeks when I first went to Abu Dhabi. There I was, tears in my eyes, waiting for my beloved little ones to come through customs... And this bowl headed lad wandered through with my husband and daughter. I barely recognised him. He looked like a tiny monk. I could have killed her. She only did it cos she knew I wouldn't see her for nearly a year...

I've heard Indian mothers and mother in law's can be very interfering too. My sister in law is always grumbling about hers: the house is never clean, the food is never cooked properly, the grandson is growing up into a hooligan etc etc... when we were visiting she took a call from "Ma" and just left the phone on the side to rant into mid air. Very funny.

Have you tried the studied indifference approach? My dad is a miserable bastard and I just pretend he's not there most of the time. Stops me wanting to murder him.

Karlos The Jackal

He looked like a tiny monk

Tockalosh

Son, I didnt know you were on BE

LaLaLayla

We have the opposite problem in that my in-laws dropped our son like a ton of bricks once my sister-in-law (favourite child) got pregnant with her baby. They used to visit twice a year and ring all the time, but now we rarely hear from them.

We had a call from the mother-in-law informing us that she would be visiting us in August. We were shocked actually, but then it turns out she is only passing through after visiting the sister-in-law. We suggested that she come in September instead, then she will get to see her new grandchild (I'm pregnant), but she doesn't want to miss sister-in-law's baby's birthday in August, so is prioritising that

scrubbedexpat141

Just say no, politely.

My Dad suggests stuff for me (not got mini-Scamps) and I just say "nah, don't like that". End of discussion.

I've seen my Step-Mum force my Step-Sisters both into doing stuff with their babies that they didn't want to do and it's tragic. I just ignore the idiot...and certainly wouldn't let her have an input in anything with my kids.

That being said, when the step-sisters are away, DAd and I have great fun doing stuff with the kids that they aren't normally allowed to do....so watch out for that sort of stuff. hahahahaaha