'Entitled mother-in-law tried to 'toughen' up my son – she's never babysitting again'

A vigilant mom is seeking advice after imposing a babysitting ban on her mother-in-law due to the treatment of her youngest son. The 31-year-old mother of two "awesome boys " one of whom is a five-year-old with autism, felt compelled to act after repeated issues.

She shared: "I'm pretty careful about his routine and environment. My in-laws have been helping out by babysitting on occasion." She continued: "A few times now, they've ignored the routines and boundaries I've set for my youngest. They've given him foods he's allergic to and let them watch TV shows that aren't appropriate for their age, as well as not sticking to the routines. I tried talking to them about it, but they just brush me off and said I am being overprotective."

The final incident that led to the ban involved her autistic son experiencing sensory overload and distress. She recounted: "Last weekend was the last straw. When I picked up the boys my youngest was really upset and in sensory overload. My oldest told me that they were yelling at him for crying and wanting his blanket. After some questioning, I put together that my youngest had hurt his knee from a fall and wanted his blanket for comfort."

"When he's overstimulated, his blanket is his comfort. Apparently, my in-laws told him he was fine and to shake it off, insisting he didn't need the blanket. They continued to let him lose his mind, telling him that until he calmed down, he couldn't have his blanket. This approach is completely the opposite of what he needs when he's overstimulated", reports the Mirror .

Outraged, the woman confronted her in-laws only to be shocked when they confirmed the incident. She added: "With confidence, my mother-in-law said, 'Well that's correct, but he's five and it's time he learns how to calm down without the need of a blanket for comfort, don't you think? Were trying to toughen him up is all'."

"I without thinking responded by telling my in-laws they can't babysit anymore. If they want to see the kids, they're welcome to come over to my place where I can keep an eye on things because I will not allow that and my kid doesn't need to be 'tough'. They got really mad and said I was being ungrateful and overprotective. My husband thinks I overreacted and mad that I didn't discuss it with him first."

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"I question about being the a** because I didn't run it by my husband first and instead without any thought about him told his parents they could no longer keep our kids, so maybe I reacted without thinking but should I have discussed it with him first since its hits parents?"

People on Reddit were quick to support the mother's actions, with one user responding: "I get why he's cross you didn't discuss but I think it is completely fair. It's not as if you sneakily went behind his back. You lashed out because your child was in pain and they had exacerbated it."

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