Help! My Mother-in-Law Thinks She’s Doing Us a Favor

Hey everyone,

I really need some advice on a situation that’s been bugging me for a while. So, here’s the deal: My wife, Ariana, and I have a wonderful little boy, Vincent. We love spending time with him, but we also think it’s important for him to bond with his grandparents. So, every now and then, we bring Vincent over to Ariana’s parents’ house so they can spend some quality time together.

The problem is my mother-in-law, Claire. She seems to think that by taking care of Vincent, she’s doing us this huge favor. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the help, but it’s not like we’re dumping our kid on her because we can’t handle it. We just want Vincent to have a good relationship with his grandparents.

Claire keeps making comments like, “Oh, you must be so relieved to have a break,” or “I know how hard it is for you guys, so I’m happy to help out.” It’s starting to feel like she’s turning this into a charity case, and it’s really getting under my skin. I don’t want to come off as ungrateful, but I also don’t want her to think we’re incapable parents who need rescuing.

James, my father-in-law, is pretty chill and doesn’t make a big deal out of it, but Claire’s attitude is making things awkward. How do I address this without causing a family drama? I want to keep the peace, but I also want her to understand that we’re not looking for a handout, just some family bonding time.

Any advice on how to handle this would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Michael