Children with autism need to be handled in very particular ways but one mum has revealed how she was forced to make a difficult decision after her in-laws ignored her kid’s routine
A protective mum has shared how she felt forced to issue her mother-in-law a babysitting ban after discovering the way her youngest son had been treated. Now wondering if she went too far, she shared the predicament on social media looking for feedback.
The 31-year-old explained that she has two “awesome boys”, aged 5 and 7, with the youngest diagnosed as autistic. She wrote: “I’m pretty careful about his routine and environment. My in-laws have been helping out by babysitting on occasion.
“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.
“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.”
Furious, the woman called her in-laws to hear their side of the story but was left stunned when they confirmed it was all true. She continued: “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 reading the Reddit post quickly assured the mum that she wasn’t overreacting. One person replied: “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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