I am a mother of a 7 year old girl. Posted on r/AITA subreddit He questions whether he overreacted to a decision his sister-in-law made while babysitting their daughter Rose.
A mother has ‘banned’ her babysitter after her sister-in-law used ‘frustrated mother’ remedies on her sick daughter without permission.
The mother explained that her daughter, who is prone to ear infections, had recently developed an infection in both ears. She had to stay home from her school, but her mother had to work, so her sister-in-law offered to babysit her.
“Everything seemed to be going well until I went to pick Rose up and my sister-in-law breastfed Rose’s ear (she has a 12-week old) to cure an ear infection. “I said I put it in,” she explained. “She claimed that this was a great treatment and that Rose was already starting to feel better.”
The mother was furious that her sister-in-law forced her daughter to breastfeed without her parents’ consent.
“I yelled at her about it, we got into an argument, and I told her I couldn’t babysit her anymore.” [or] Be around Rose unsupervised,” she shared.
The ripple effect seemed to hurt everyone involved, with Rose upset because she couldn’t go see her aunt. Her sister-in-law was upset, saying, “She was just trying to help.” Her mother’s brother became upset because his wife was upset and accused her sister of overreacting.
“Everyone seems to be against me on this issue,” the mother revealed.
“This is a woman putting her own bodily fluids in my child’s ear. I think I have a right to be upset,” the mother said, wondering if she was right or if she was really overreacting. I shouted as I thought about it.
There seemed to be some debate in the comments about whether breast milk is an appropriate treatment for otitis media, but most people understood the overall picture.
The problem wasn’t about the breast milk itself. It was about the fact that her sister-in-law had administered something vaguely like a drug to a child that was not her own, without her parents’ permission.
One commenter wrote, “Babysitters shouldn’t give medicine or home remedies without permission, no matter how normal and wonderful people think it is.”
Another user wrote, “This isn’t a question of whether breast milk is beneficial for ear infections. Your daughter is too young to understand and consent, so it’s important to protect her and make the best medical choices.” It’s your role as a parent.” She said, “It’s for her. No one other than her parents has the right to make a call like that.”
The commenter went on to suggest that the mother take time to calm down from the initial shock of the situation and then meet with her sister-in-law.
“I know she has your child’s best interests at heart, but please explain that you are not comfortable with her making medical decisions for your daughter.” “If you can agree to that, then you can let her back into your daughter’s life,” they advised.
Redditors also offered advice on what to say if your sister-in-law rebels against the boundaries your mother has set, sharing the line, “I don’t need you to understand, but I do want you to accept me.”
“You seem like a really good mom,” they concluded. Don’t let anyone doubt it. ”
Parenting is full of situations where it’s easy to doubt yourself or think you’ve made the wrong decision for your child. But trusting your instincts goes a long way, and this mom’s reaction wasn’t out of the question at all. While breast milk may have a biologically intended healing effect on the baby, consequential decisions should not be made for another person’s child without their active consent.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango’s news and entertainment team. She covers everything related to parenting, pop culture, and the entertainment industry.
