Kimberly - posted on 05/27/2011 ( 8 moms have responded )
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So I just really need to vent to some complete strangers right now!!
I have a very odd relationship with my husband's sister and her husband. They're very nice people and we all get along well, but I mainly feel like my SIL doesn't like me. My husband says she's just shy but we've been married 4 years and were together 3 years before that, so you'd think she'd be over it by now. My main issue with them is that they're complete know-it-alls and have to make a competition out of everything. When my daughter was born they occasionally gave me unwanted advice on what I should be doing with her. Neither of them (at this point) had a child or even had been around children, whereas I worked in childcare for 7 years before having my daughter and have several qualifications in child development. I don't in any way think this makes me an expert, I still have questions just like everyone! but I would consider myself more knowledgeable than them in this particular area of life.
Nobody in the family EVER thought my SIL would get pregnant. They're more the like-to-have-expensive-meals-out-travel-the-world kind of people. So when she announced she was pregnant we were all pretty shocked. Their little boy arrived in March. They make lots of comments about how perfect he is, which I don't blame them, they're in love with their baby! But it just gets a little boring hearing over and over, Auntie Kim, aren't I just the most beautiful precious baby you've ever seen?? Umm...actually no, MY baby is the most beautiful precious baby I've ever seen :P
Anyway...my main gripe, and the whole reason I'm writing this post is because I know my BIL is super competitive, but now he's starting the competition between his son and my daughter, and I am NOT cool with it. I posted on facebook the other day that I was going to take my daughter to the swimming pool (her second time ever, she's 20 months old) and how the first time we went my daughter was unsure and a little freaked out so a random woman there told us to blow in her face and dunk her under the water! I was horrified. Personally, I don't think dunking her under the water when she's already unsure is the way to make her confident in the water. So my BIL responded, "Billy" goes under the water in his swimming lessons...?? and then made a face. I responded about how their son is 2 months old and has no idea what's going on, whereas my daughter is 20 months and it's her first time, blah blah blah, but then I ended up deleting it just coz I didn't want to get into it...This isn't the only time in the last 2 months that they've made comments about, oh "billy" can do this, when did Pippa do it?? I don't think I can go the rest of our lives with them comparing their child to mine constantly. I just feel like screaming down their throats that you can't compare the development/behavior of a 2 month old to a 20 month old. I don't want my daughter growing up with her uncle always saying her cousin can do everything better than her. Does anybody have some polite ways to tell them to f*ck off! I really don't want to cause a rift or make anybody upset, but I honestly can't keep quiet about this or else I'm going to explode and say something I shouldn't...
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