A mum has banned grandparents from changing her child’s nappy to protect his ‘privacy’ while raising issues of consent.
Yes, really.
The mother took to the popular parenting forum Mumsnet to voice her concern after her mother-in-law decided to lend a hand when changing her newborn’s diaper.
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"I'm very keen on consent and protecting my baby's privacy and prefer that only myself and my partner are the ones to change [my son's] nappy,” she wrote.
"Obviously, I understand if we're not available due to nursery eventually or if someone else is babysitting, then I'm happy for someone else to do it; however, this has not yet been the case.”
Oh, she's just getting warmed up.
She continued: "A while ago my mother-in-law was over, and my baby started crying, and rather than just give him back decided to take it upon herself to change him.
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"I was standing right there.”
My god, imagine when this kid reaches primary school and starts receiving unsolicited high-fives. Someone hold this mama back.
She added: "He continued crying throughout the change, and she gave him back straight after, but it annoyed me as it wasn't her place to change him.”
The mother said that while she didn’t say anything to her mother-in-law at the time, since then, she’s found her to be more ‘overbearing’ and wants to lay down firm boundaries.
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However, many users were quick to jump in and tell the mother she was overreacting while insisting that babies do not need consent.
One person wrote: “I really don't understand why you feel the way you do. But it does seem like you have your own underlining problem. If you can't trust immediate family to change a nappy, then, well, your child is going to grow up with you literally obsessing over 'privacy' for them.”
Another shared: “It's good to be aware, but you do sound paranoid. They are related, and you were right there watching. Did something happen to you as a child? If so, maybe you need therapy to talk through things. Or maybe you could have said, it's OK I can do that or something.”
While a third said: “I think this is something you seriously need to address with yourself. First of all, all my family members have offered to change nappies, and nine/10 it's because they're being helpful and just giving me a tiny break. I think it's a lovely thing for them to do.”
Charisa Bossinakis