In-laws are often a touchy subject, especially when they cross a boundary, consciously or unconsciously. A mom on Reddit is "outraged" after her father-in-law gave her baby alcohol and people are divided on what she should do in response.
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Here's the story
"Today, during my husband's birthday celebration, my father-in-law gave alcohol to my baby as if it were a joke. While we were toasting, and I was cutting the cake, he gave my one-year-old a sip from his glass and laughed as my baby seemed to want more," she wrote.
"I feel outraged and frustrated because both of my in-laws are individuals who always want to be right and speak ill behind the backs of anyone who disagrees with them, especially their daughters-in-law."
Whose responsibility is it to say something?
One commenter thinks that this isn't her fight to have.
"You should have your husband tell his father that that was not okay. You husband needs to stand his ground as a parent and protect his child, if they want to talk about about you behind your back then that’s on them and shows a huge lack of maturity on their part. Giving alcohol to a baby is not funny at all. I would be extremely concerned of him doing it again or not supervising properly when alcohol is present as the kids get older," they wrote.
Many people agree that it's crossing a boundary
Many of the comments back up the mom's frustration and encourage her not to let the FIL's behavior slide.
"Awfully bold of him to do that while you had a knife in your hands," one person commented.
"Why your in-laws think it’s funny to endanger a baby’s health is beyond me. I’m not one to encourage NC unless it’s for legitimate reasons, but this situation necessitates it. Even if your FIL did apologize, I still wouldn’t let him be alone with the baby. Actions have consequences," another said.
"This post screams BOUNDARIES. Either have your husband or you say something OR this will happen again. Advocate asap for your kid," another chimed in.
Is it really that big of a deal?
A lot of commenters think that FIL's actions aren't that big of a deal and that the mom is making something of nothing.
"Seriously though, a tiny sip will not endanger any child or baby. The only issue seems to be the grandparent doing this without your consent and I doubt it was deliberate. I personally wouldn't bat an eyelid. He probably has the same view," one person said.
"This is over ONE TINY SIP of alcohol, my God! It’s not like the grandfather was dipping the baby in a vat of bleach!" another replied.
"A sip of alcohol?! Jesus f—ing christ are yall this anxious and worked up about everything? Do your children even ever leave your house? Do they live in bubbles they can never leave? Do you call the police if a stranger even looks in their general direction?" another responded.
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
