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Author Topic: Need Catholic perspective on how to deal with MIL  (Read 2659 times)

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Offline arredondolexi

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Need Catholic perspective on how to deal with MIL
« on: June 03, 2017, 05:21:31 PM »
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  • A little back story: I was never married to the father of my child. We were in relationship for over 2 years when I got pregnant. His mom and I were really close and spent a lot of time together. When I decided to become catholic, she became my sponsor. 
    So heres what happened: 
    My baby is 9 months old and when he was 1 month the doc was saying he should get 1 bath a night to get him in routine. I told her and she didn't care and kept bathing him everyday and I eventually had it an we got in argument. She said she grandma so she can do whatever she want. I told her if she can't respect that then I can trust her. And then she decided to refuse to ever let me inside her house again. Since that day she has been so difficult to deal with. When I tried to make up with her, I knocked on her door and she slammed it in my face before I even spoke. It got to the point where baby daddy and I broke up. And since then I'll admit I can be very rude towards her now but that's because she refuses to speak to me about anything. She said she doesn't care if it's even an extreme emergency with my son, regards to seeing him, says she'll never ever ask me to baby sit but expects to baby sit, or communicate on anything in regards to my son. She doesn't want any contact (mind you my baby daddy lives at home with his mom and I ended up getting a lawyer bc I couldn't deal with her wanting to control the visitation and everything when we first broke up). Also remember she is my catholic sponsor. The other day I was picking up my son and she was outside, i said hi and she literally ran into her house. When baby daddy went inside, I saw her by door and said hi again, she walked away. And then yesterday I went to drop off her daughter's birthday present at the party and I said hi. She literally started walking away and made a swishing away motion with her hand. I decided to follow her and say hi 3 more times. Still nothing. So I went right in front of her and was like hello. She finally said hello and walked away. Baby daddy got mad at me for that but I was mad that she can't even say hello to me. We ended up yelling at each other outside and she kept calling me crazy. And she likes to use my age against me since I'm 21 and she's 40. However, for the very first time last night she sent me an apology text and said she should be more cordial towards me.
    If someone can give me the catholic perspective on how to deal with her please help me. It just sucks how all of this happened over one disagreement that she couldn't agree to move past with me or even discuss. 


    Offline Student of Qi

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    Re: Need Catholic perspective on how to deal with MIL
    « Reply #1 on: June 03, 2017, 06:37:26 PM »
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  • Ignoring the other aspects of your sad story and addressing only the question at hand:

    You are to "kill her with kindness". As Catholics, as hard as it can be, we are obliged to be cordial to people, especially those who irritate us most. You at least are doing the right thing to be trying to improve relations and be nice to her. This is a practise of patiance, which can be a hard virtue to acquire. You should pray for her, and all the more so since yall don't get along. Pray to the Holy Ghost for guidance and Wisdom, trust in Him and things will improve; maybe not in the way you would expect, but things shall, non the less.
    The Virtue of Charity demands this as well

    It is in the 8 Beatitudes: "Love those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Blessed are the peacemakers, etc".


    Others here will probably give better answers, but I hope this helps! :)
    You'll be in my prayers!
    Many people say "For the Honor and Glory of God!" but, what they should say is "For the Love, Glory and Honor of God". - Fr. Paul of Moll


    Offline Student of Qi

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    Re: Need Catholic perspective on how to deal with MIL
    « Reply #2 on: June 03, 2017, 06:48:47 PM »
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  • I can't edit my above post...


    I encourage you to read Christ's Sermon On The Mount. You can find it in chapter 5 of the book of Matthew. It is believed this should give you a good idea and inspiration.
    Many people say "For the Honor and Glory of God!" but, what they should say is "For the Love, Glory and Honor of God". - Fr. Paul of Moll

    Offline arredondolexi

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    Re: Need Catholic perspective on how to deal with MIL
    « Reply #3 on: June 03, 2017, 10:05:57 PM »
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  • I can't edit my above post...


    I encourage you to read Christ's Sermon On The Mount. You can find it in chapter 5 of the book of Matthew. It is believed this should give you a good idea and inspiration.
    I wanted to say thank you for your responses. i'm going to take the time to pray tonight before i go to sleep. i read the sermon on the mount. it really did give me inspiration. I'm going to read it a few more times and may keep going back to it as needed. thanks 

    Online Nadir

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    Re: Need Catholic perspective on how to deal with MIL
    « Reply #4 on: June 03, 2017, 10:53:44 PM »
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  • .
    You have a very big problem there, but things can improve, as you gain wisdom and pray more and try to follow what the Gospel teaches, as Student has advised. I too will pray for you. 
    .
    By the way, a baby really does need to be bathed every day at 9 months of age because she can get skin irritation from urine. Is this the main issue of disagreement or is there another? What country do you live in? 


    Help of Christians, guard our land from assault or inward stain,
    Let it be what God has planned, His new Eden where You reign.


    Offline poche

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    Re: Need Catholic perspective on how to deal with MIL
    « Reply #5 on: June 03, 2017, 11:16:14 PM »
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  • What is teh custody and visitation situation?

    Offline arredondolexi

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    Re: Need Catholic perspective on how to deal with MIL
    « Reply #6 on: June 03, 2017, 11:37:43 PM »
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  • .
    You have a very big problem there, but things can improve, as you gain wisdom and pray more and try to follow what the Gospel teaches, as Student has advised. I too will pray for you.
    .
    By the way, a baby really does need to be bathed every day at 9 months of age because she can get skin irritation from urine. Is this the main issue of disagreement or is there another? What country do you live in?
    thank you for praying for me. as well as to first responder. 
    and at the time he did because he would projectile vomit all day and it would get all over him no matter how hard i or anyone tried to keep the throw up off him. so he always smelled horrible. the bathing once a day was ok and the doc recommended it to try to get him to sleep better and keep him from smelling. but she wanted to bathe him as well during the day. i get she wanted that bonding but he was getting big patches of dry skin once she started batheing him as well but she didn't see anything bad about that because we can just keep putting on lotion. 
    the main issue was that by me asking her to not bathe him during the day, she said I'm the grandma and i can do whatever i want to. i responded with then i can't trust you and tried explaining how the doctor noticed all the dry patches and the routine the doc wanted. but it went in one ear and out the other and she just focused on can't trust you. and from there it got worse because she refused to have an actual conversation with me about any disagreement because i can't voice anything without being told "don't talk back to your elders." which i get but it just make me more frustrated and more upset since she was my sponsor for church. i get I'm not with her son anymore but he has hour long conversations with my parents at my house all the time. and everyone can get along, its just her and i with each other. and i live in the USA

    Offline arredondolexi

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    Re: Need Catholic perspective on how to deal with MIL
    « Reply #7 on: June 03, 2017, 11:45:34 PM »
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  • What is teh custody and visitation situation?
    we already got it figured out now. i asked for him to not have overnights until 2.5 years old and he didn't fight me on it. but he seems our son 4 times a week. and then at 3 years old it changes to texas standard possession. 
    however, at one point he had supervised visitation because he would leave our son awake on the couch by himself and just walk away to get food or answer the door (he has tile floor). and he held him upside down by his ankles a few times. so for him and i that was a lot to get over because he was mad that he had supervised visits for a little bit, but i was mad because he wouldn't listen to me or even his mom (i had her speak to him on it) about basic safety, so i felt no choice. 
    but i think even though him and i were able to work out our feelings towards that, i don't know if she has. 


    Offline arredondolexi

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    Re: Need Catholic perspective on how to deal with MIL
    « Reply #8 on: June 04, 2017, 12:09:45 AM »
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  • What is teh custody and visitation situation?
    I should mention the holding upside down was playful but it still was very alarming to me since baby was 6 weeks old at the time

    Offline poche

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    Re: Need Catholic perspective on how to deal with MIL
    « Reply #9 on: June 04, 2017, 06:01:55 AM »
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  • we already got it figured out now. i asked for him to not have overnights until 2.5 years old and he didn't fight me on it. but he seems our son 4 times a week. and then at 3 years old it changes to texas standard possession.
    however, at one point he had supervised visitation because he would leave our son awake on the couch by himself and just walk away to get food or answer the door (he has tile floor). and he held him upside down by his ankles a few times. so for him and i that was a lot to get over because he was mad that he had supervised visits for a little bit, but i was mad because he wouldn't listen to me or even his mom (i had her speak to him on it) about basic safety, so i felt no choice.
    but i think even though him and i were able to work out our feelings towards that, i don't know if she has.
    I think you should work with him so that the both of you focus mainly on what is best for the child rather than yourselves.  

    Offline arredondolexi

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    Re: Need Catholic perspective on how to deal with MIL
    « Reply #10 on: June 04, 2017, 03:12:25 PM »
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  • Well thank you guys for your insight 


    Online Nadir

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    Re: Need Catholic perspective on how to deal with MIL
    « Reply #11 on: June 04, 2017, 04:45:12 PM »
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  • Don't you live with your own parents? What part do they have to play in the rearing of your son?

    Did you have good reason to say to his mother that you don't trust her? Or did you say it in anger?

    And who paid for the lawyer?

    I suggest that you pray the Rosary every day, and things will start to improve. 
    Help of Christians, guard our land from assault or inward stain,
    Let it be what God has planned, His new Eden where You reign.

    Offline BumphreyHogart

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    Re: Need Catholic perspective on how to deal with MIL
    « Reply #12 on: June 04, 2017, 04:48:07 PM »
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  • The first advice should be to seek a priest....not laymen on an Internet forum.
    "there can be no holiness where there is disagreement with the pope" - Pope St. Pius X

    Today, only Catholics holding the sedevacantist position are free from the anguish entailed by this truth.

    Offline Motorede

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    Re: Need Catholic perspective on how to deal with MIL
    « Reply #13 on: June 04, 2017, 08:47:42 PM »
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  • I think that the lay folk answering the OP's question are doing a great job...and the OP is happy,too. 

    Offline BumphreyHogart

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    Re: Need Catholic perspective on how to deal with MIL
    « Reply #14 on: June 04, 2017, 09:00:26 PM »
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  • I think that the lay folk answering the OP's question are doing a great job...and the OP is happy,too.

    Happiness in the recipient does not necessarily entail a correct solution. Objectively, we must go to our pastors for moral decisions, not to the parishioners.
    "there can be no holiness where there is disagreement with the pope" - Pope St. Pius X

    Today, only Catholics holding the sedevacantist position are free from the anguish entailed by this truth.