I've been a stay at home dad for nine years. My wife and I have three kids, all girls. Since my wife has a high paying corporate job, and I struggled at getting jobs, I decided to stay home. Our daughters are 7, 5 and 1. Being a stay at home dad, I manage well and enjoy the moments with our daughters. I've been doing it for 5 years.
The one person who feels I'm not to be a stay at home dad is my MIL. She is old school, judgmental, and acts like her knowledge is the gospel truth. She's told my wife there are other fish in the sea who would be good for her, rather than someone who bums around the house and doesn't want to work, while living off of her money. My wife told her our life is none of her concern, and I make her happy and support her. My MIL doesn't care. She thinks I'm a bad role model for our daughters, and im teaching them that women must work, and let the men stay home. Whenever she says this, I ask her to leave my house.
My MIL retired last year. When she did, she used it as means to say she can finally look after her grandkids, and I should go find a job. We told her it wasn't happening. So what does she do? Comes to our house every single day. I've shut the door in her face many times, telling her she's not needed, as I'm busy. She'll call my wife and tell her I won't let her in. I'll have to tell my wife her mom is a pest, and I'm not tolerating a helper like her who nags and talks down to me. She understands and tells her mom to give me space. My MIL would call and tell me that i must be a loser because men like going to sports bars, being with friends, and partying. I told her my life choice is not her business. To add insult, our 1 year old was hospitalized for asthma this year. She came to the hospital and created a scene. For Fathers Day, she stole the moment by telling my wife to have a double lunch with her father, and my wife's grandfather. My wife told her she planned for her family and was taking me somewhere special. My MIL told her what she planned was better. So instead of what my wife planned, we spent it with my MIL, FIL and my MIL father.
This summer, my wife was out of state for two weeks. My MIL called me an ass because I didn't let the older girls go to camp. She told me I have them too dependent on me, they rarely go to their mother, and I'm being incompetent. She asked my daughters if they wanted to go to camp, they said no. She told them their daddy didn't want them having friends. To show her I wasn't allowing her attitude, I did not invite her to our daughters birthday party. Simply because I didn't invite her, she's talking my name saying I am a bad man, bad father and bad husband. It was two months ago. Our other daughter is having a birthday, I told my wife her mom wasn't invited this one. She thinks I'm carrying a joke to far.
Am I justified in my actions? How do you deal with someone like her?
The one person who feels I'm not to be a stay at home dad is my MIL. She is old school, judgmental, and acts like her knowledge is the gospel truth. She's told my wife there are other fish in the sea who would be good for her, rather than someone who bums around the house and doesn't want to work, while living off of her money. My wife told her our life is none of her concern, and I make her happy and support her. My MIL doesn't care. She thinks I'm a bad role model for our daughters, and im teaching them that women must work, and let the men stay home. Whenever she says this, I ask her to leave my house.
My MIL retired last year. When she did, she used it as means to say she can finally look after her grandkids, and I should go find a job. We told her it wasn't happening. So what does she do? Comes to our house every single day. I've shut the door in her face many times, telling her she's not needed, as I'm busy. She'll call my wife and tell her I won't let her in. I'll have to tell my wife her mom is a pest, and I'm not tolerating a helper like her who nags and talks down to me. She understands and tells her mom to give me space. My MIL would call and tell me that i must be a loser because men like going to sports bars, being with friends, and partying. I told her my life choice is not her business. To add insult, our 1 year old was hospitalized for asthma this year. She came to the hospital and created a scene. For Fathers Day, she stole the moment by telling my wife to have a double lunch with her father, and my wife's grandfather. My wife told her she planned for her family and was taking me somewhere special. My MIL told her what she planned was better. So instead of what my wife planned, we spent it with my MIL, FIL and my MIL father.
This summer, my wife was out of state for two weeks. My MIL called me an ass because I didn't let the older girls go to camp. She told me I have them too dependent on me, they rarely go to their mother, and I'm being incompetent. She asked my daughters if they wanted to go to camp, they said no. She told them their daddy didn't want them having friends. To show her I wasn't allowing her attitude, I did not invite her to our daughters birthday party. Simply because I didn't invite her, she's talking my name saying I am a bad man, bad father and bad husband. It was two months ago. Our other daughter is having a birthday, I told my wife her mom wasn't invited this one. She thinks I'm carrying a joke to far.
Am I justified in my actions? How do you deal with someone like her?