Family gatherings are like a mixed bag of candy – sweet, but occasionally filled with something sour. They offer the perfect chance to catch up with people you don’t get to see that often, make memories, and share a few laughs. But sometimes, these visits can turn into improvised soap operas, filled with drama and some really strong opinions.

This is what happened to the protagonist of this story when her in-laws were getting ready for a family visit with their toddler, turning what should have been a fun visit into a heated exchange of words.

More info: Reddit

Woman’s sister-in-law demands she move her infant baby from her crib so her 20-month-old son can sleep in it when they visit, but the mom refuses, causing tensions in the family

Image credits: Alicia (not the actual photo)

The mom doesn’t want to disrupt her 5-month-old daughter’s sleep by moving her from the crib and offers to rent a baby travel bed for her in-laws’ visit, but she is refused

Image credits: angryyetsensitivemom

The woman’s sister-in-law was never nice to her, refusing to invite her to their wedding or birthday parties

Image credits: Natasha Hall (not the actual photo)

Image credits: angryyetsensitivemom

Image credits: Ivan Samkov (not the actual photo)

The sister-in-law demands the crib for their visit, despite the mom offering to buy a travel crib for her nephew or suggesting they split the cost of renting one

Image credits: angryyetsensitivemom

The woman asks her husband to deal with his family, making it clear that the pack-n-play was the final offer and demanding an apology before she’ll accept hosting them

Our story begins when Jane (not her real name but let’s just go with it) and her hubby were expecting a visit from their in-laws and their 20-month-old son. This should have been a happy reunion since the families live several states apart and don’t get to see each other often. However, things took a turn for the worse when Jane asked her sister-in-law where her son would be sleeping during their stay.

Now, Jane and her sister-in-law have never been best friends. They’ve had their differences over the years, and the sister-in-law has never been nice to Jane. She didn’t even invite her to their wedding, birthdays, and even refused to get her hair and makeup done for Jane’s wedding despite being a bridesmaid. So, when the sister-in-law insisted that her son should sleep in Jane’s 5-month-old daughter’s crib, our leading lady was understandably hesitant.

Jane explained that her daughter had just started sleep training and had recently transitioned from a bassinet to the crib. Moving her back to a pack-n-play could disrupt her sleep routine. Despite Jane offering to buy a travel crib for her nephew or suggesting they split the cost of renting a crib, the sister-in-law was not having it, demanding her son get the baby’s crib, or else.

Jane explained to her sister-in-law that her daughter needed the crib more and that there had to be another solution, but the woman was only going to accept her way and nothing else. Her answer created tensions between the two women when the sister-in-law suggested to Jane that, if she can’t accommodate their needs, they shouldn’t visit at all. After that heated exchange, communication had gone radio silent, but the visit was still on the calendar.

Sometimes, family gatherings can feel like you need to armor up against your brother’s mocking comments, or your mom’s salty remarks. However, there’s a more effective way to protect yourself, according to family therapists, which is setting boundaries. These boundaries act as a personal commitment to ensure your own needs are met in your relationships, acting as a guideline for how you wish to be treated. Setting boundaries can be particularly beneficial for those who have endured toxic family dynamics for years, just like Jane and her sister-in-law had.

Jane decided to hand over the reins to her husband to handle his side of the family, making it clear that the pack-n-play was the final offer, if the in-laws still wanted to visit. She also insisted on an apology from her sister-in-law before she would feel comfortable hosting them: a bold and empowering move that Jane felt was long overdue, after accepting mistreatment by her sister-in-law for all those years. “I was always hoping we could become close friends, but the feeling is very clearly not mutual,” Jane recalls.

Image credits: RDNE Stock project (not the actual photo)

What do the experts have to say about this situation? Well, according to therapists, conflicts with a family member can create tensions in other relationships too. Trying to change a difficult family member might be pointless, as the more effort one puts in, the more demands the challenging individual tends to make.

So, what is the best way to deal with those people you are not very fond of and didn’t choose to have in your life, but circumstances have brought you together and you’re forced to deal with them because they’re family?

While it might be tempting to try to help a family member, “sometimes it works, but often your efforts will not be rewarded. In fact, trying to fix someone or make their life better may become a huge headache, since the more you do for them, the more they want from you,” experts explain. Instead of trying to fix a difficult person, focus on your own well-being first and don’t allow any relationship to challenge that.

But how can we deal with special occasions, such as holidays, or family visits, when we are forced to spend time with the difficult member, just like Jane’s situation? Experts would advise “to plan ahead so that you have a good idea about how time will be spent with relatives. Don’t leave too much unplanned time; you don’t want to get into a situation where you’re left alone with a difficult family member with whom you have an issue or conflict.”

What’s your take on this story? What would you do if you were in the same situation? Drop your comments below.

People in the comments side with the mom, saying that she shouldn’t have to move her baby just to accommodate her entitled sister-in-law

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