My kids cry every time they have to go to my mother-in-law’s house. I assumed they were just being dramatic, and my husband kept reassuring me it was normal.
Recently, I showed up two hours early to pick them up. The moment I stepped inside, my blood ran cold. My poor kids were standing silently in the dim hallway, facing the wall. They didn’t even turn around when the door opened. My heart pounded in my chest as I rushed over to them.
When I touched my daughter’s shoulder, she flinched slightly. That broke me. I immediately went to my MIL and demanded an explanation. She looked at me calmly and said, “Oh, they were misbehaving.” Her face carried no guilt at all. When I stared at her in shock, she added matter-of-factly, “I was disciplining them because they don’t behave.”
I could feel my blood boiling. Without saying another word, I grabbed my kids and walked out. On the ride home, my daughter spoke quietly: “Grandma does that every time we visit, Mommy.” My heart shattered. I held back tears, realizing how many times I had dismissed their cries, brushing off their fears as drama.
I pulled over, hugged them tight, and promised, “I won’t let this happen again.” My children are kind, well-behaved, and loving — nothing they could do would ever warrant being forced to stand in silence like that.
When we got home, my husband immediately started questioning why I had stormed out and “disrespected” his mother. I told the kids to go to their rooms — they didn’t need to see us fight. Apparently, MIL had already called the whole family to paint me as a dramatic, ungrateful daughter-in-law. My husband even told me I should apologize to her.
Apologize? For what? I bit my tongue to avoid lashing out, but inside I was furious. My children had been suffering in silence for who knows how long, and I had ignored the signs. I can’t let them stay with her anymore. I can’t trust someone who instills fear in them and calls it discipline.
But my husband insists I’m overreacting and being unfair to his mother. The truth is, we don’t use punishments like that in our home. I’ve taught my kids to express themselves, to communicate, and to make better choices. They don’t need to be shamed into standing against a wall.
Now I’m left wondering — how do I make him understand that this kind of “discipline” is unacceptable?
Source: nowiveseeneverything.club