A new grandparent is filled with so much joy when they see their grandchild for the first time that they completely overboard. They go out and buy cute outfits that are sizes too big and toys that the baby will have to wait a long time before they are ready to play with it. However, they also go overboard on advice, which can be tough for a new parent to deal with at times. There are even some grandparents who just seem like they want to take complete charge of the baby’s care. These are what you call interfering grandparents and, for a new parent, it can be difficult to take. The following are some tips on how you can handle the interfering grandparent without causing a rift:
Advice is something that most new grandparents have plenty of and, to a new mother, it can be annoying. There are a couple of different ways that you can handle this type of situation. The first is to politely say thank you and, if possible, change the subject. The only downside to this is that they may continue to push their advice on you. If this happens, you will want to use the next method.
When the grandparent continues to offer unwelcome advice, you need to let them know that while their advice is welcome your doctor has already told you what to do. Most grandparents are not going to argue about advice that a doctor has given you, so this may be enough to keep them from pushing too much.
Of course, you may have the new grandparent that not only offers advice, but does nothing but talk nonstop about the baby with you. This also can be tough for a new parent and a great way of dealing with this is to change the subject to what your spouse was like as a child. Hearing stories about your spouse may be a welcome change and may actually take their mind of your child and how you are raising it.
When you are expecting a baby, you often forget about how it will affect your parents and in-laws. The truth is that they are probably just as excited as you and your spouse. However, their excitement often comes across with a little too much advice and a little too much interference. Using the above information will help you to get some control over this situation.
Author Bio
A lifetime Hinsdale Illinois resident and advocate of the elderly, Jennie recommends Hinsdale in-home elderly care for their service and dedication to serving the needs of the elderly.
Good advice 🙂 Fortunately (unfortunately?) we weren’t living anywhere near either of our parents so we didn’t have to deal with this!
At this point in my life, I would LOVE an overbearing grandmother. My children have not known their grandmothers as both died prior to their birth. I’d love to have my mom tell me everything I did was wrong, because it would mean she was here. I can see how that would drive someone crazy, though.