'My in laws are unhinged for asking me this after babysitting'

"We were gone for less than two hours!"

After just 18 days of parenting, a new mum has been shocked by an “unhinged question” from her husband’s family.

She had asked her mother-in-law and sister-in-law to babysit her newborn while she and her husband celebrated their anniversary.

But a few hours of child-minding led to an unexpected inquiry.

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"My husband shut it down"

“They wanted to ask who would get the baby if my husband and I died,” the new mum shared in a parenting group.

The in-laws questioned whether the couple had a will in place and what role her side of the family would play - especially as they live overseas and have little relationship with the baby.

The initial conversation happened while the mum was feeding the baby in another room.

“My husband shut it down. He told them he wasn’t having this conversation right now. I’ve been so disturbed since he told me. And so has he,” she said.

This isn’t the first time her in-laws have displayed what she describes as “possessive” behavior.

They’ve previously made remarks about the baby after a friend of the mum's visited from abroad and even commented on language preferences for the child.

Now, the nature of their discussion while she and her husband were out has left them even more unsettled.

“We were gone for less than two hours, and what they ended up discussing was, ‘If they die, can we keep the baby?’” she shared.

She’s now questioning whether the question was simply practical or completely inappropriate.

Image: iStock

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"These difficult conversations are essential"

Commenters, however, largely dismissed the mum's concerns. 

“I don’t think it’s a weird thing to ask… When you have a child, these difficult conversations are essential. You can’t really hide from them anymore,” one commenter reasoned.

“I actually think it’s really important that everyone involved knows your wishes so there are no surprises,” another wrote.

A third simply added: “Personally, everything you described sounds very normal.”

The mother has previously opened up to her in-laws about her rocky upbringing and complicated relationship with her own family.

Despite this, she’s baffled by their apparent anxiety.

“I don’t understand why my husband’s family—who are already so involved in the baby’s life—feel the need for so much reassurance that they’ll always be included,” she said.

Originally published as 'My in laws are unhinged for asking me this after babysitting'