When a woman’s daughter-in-law finally got a job after being out of the workforce for a while due to being a stay-at-home mom, she asked the grandmother if she would take care of her children, but the woman said no.
A grandmother took to Reddit to ask if she was wrong for refusing to look after her grandchildren for a week as her daughter-in-law returned to the workforce after being a stay-at-home mom for four years.
The grandmother shared that her daughter-in-law had stayed home with her children, aged four and two, for a while but had finally landed a job in her field after searching for the right one.
Shocked senior woman sitting in a chair with knitting in her lap | Source: Getty Images
However, the problem came in when she could only get her children into daycare a week after her job was set to start. She contacted the children’s grandmother to ask if she would care for them. However, the grandmother said no.
Why Did the Grandmother Say No?
The grandmother shared that if her son and daughter-in-law were working and commuting to and from work, she would care for the children for approximately nine hours a day. Yet this was not the issue.
A clipboard with a piece of paper and pen titled “Rules and Regulations” | Source: Getty Images
The grandmother said she would happily have looked after her other son’s children, but her daughter-in-law had too many rules for her children, which she would have to follow if she cared for them.
The children are vegetarian and follow a strict diet, for which her daughter-in-law never provided food. The grandmother’s daughter-in-law was also strict about the language her children heard and didn’t want her mother-in-law to have the TV on when her children were there.
A person pointing a remote at a TV | Source: Getty Images
The mother of the children also wanted her four-year-old to do enrichment worksheets, which she expected the child’s grandmother to facilitate. The children were also on a strict schedule, which the grandmother felt was too much for the children.
A person with a smartphone and tablet scheduling their day | Source: Getty Images
The grandmother also said that aside from everything else, her daughter-in-law didn’t want her mother-in-law’s friends to be around her children because she disapproved of them. She found this the most ridiculous thing as she saw her friends nearly every day and wouldn’t be able to see them if her grandchildren were there. The grandmother lamented:
“I told my son that that’s way too much to ask of anyone, and they need to find a professional.”
Mature woman resting her head in her hand as she closes her eyes | Source: Getty Images
However, her son begged her to help them out. Although the grandmother was not interested, her daughter-in-law phoned her crying and said she didn’t want to lose the job opportunity because she had no childcare.
