My partner and I recently became first-time parents. We are lucky to have both sets of grandparents to give hands-on support. This was particularly great when our baby was very young and everything felt like one big blur.
However, we’ve begun to find my mother’s presence increasingly taxing – yet feel guilty as we are also grateful for the support. Every time she is around she undermines our parenting by questioning or commenting on the way we do things. She does it in a playful manner which makes it difficult to object to, but she has also become anxious about the baby’s safety, often catastrophising.
