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Hi ladies, I have a little problem and I thought maybe you could help me with it.

12 replies

nadineGuest ·
hi ladies, i'll quickly explain the situation in short.
i lived with my partner at my parents' house, and both my daughters were born there.
when i had my second daughter, my oldest was 1 year and 9 months old.
i was breastfeeding then, and because my oldest constantly demanded attention, my mother took care of her.
this way i could feed the baby in peace, and my mother was downstairs on the first floor with my oldest daughter, while my partner and i were upstairs with the baby.
at first i had trouble with it because i heard my oldest calling for mom, but
after a while they got used to my mother.
my mother put her to bed, bathed her, fed her, got up with her in the mornings. i hardly saw my daughter because i was upstairs with the little one.
my mother did this until we moved. my daughter was 4 when we moved.
by the way, my oldest daughter slept in my mother's bed.
when she had the flu, my mother would stay home to take care of her.
and that's how i had all the time for the youngest.
but now it's been a year since we moved, and my oldest daughter, who is almost 5 now, has trouble falling asleep and struggles with the attention her sister gets.
not so surprising, of course, since she always got all the attention from grandma, my mother.
she was never used to waiting for her sister or having to share someone.
she had my mother all to herself, of course.
now the problem is also that i don't know her that well; my mother knows her much better.
i just need to get to know my own daughter and build a bond with her, and that's not easy.
my mother has angelic patience; she's naturally used to my daughter.
and i have little patience.
now my mother came to help from friday to sunday to put my daughter to bed.
this way i could put my youngest daughter, now 3 years old, to bed in peace.
but now my mother lives nearby, fortunately, but is there no other way to get her to sleep?
or will she always cling to my mother?
it's also so sad with me; she fights against me, hits me, and becomes aggressive. i can't connect with her, my own child.
but my mother manages to calm her down and put her to sleep.
because she was naturally used to her all those years.
now my question to you all: is there no other way?
or will she always need my mother?
sorry for the long story.
i couldn't manage to explain this briefly.
greetings, nadine

Replies

  1. nadine started this #2

    thanks irma
    yes i think i should try to put her to bed in the same way my mother used to do
    and have the same patience and calmness as my mother
    it's not easy because suddenly she has to learn to deal with her sister
    which she didn't hate before because she only had my mother and i was upstairs with her sister
    it often hurts me a bit inside when she cries at night during bedtime for
    grandma
    i am very happy about the bond she has with my mother
    and she is also used to her upbringing
    the calmness and peace my mother has
    i find it strange that she is not used to me at all and i don't know her that well
    and when i put my youngest daughter rosa to bed in my mother's house
    my oldest daughter kyara
    was with grandma then my mother would put her to bed
    now when i put rosa to bed she has to entertain herself for a while
    until i come back
    luckily my mother had the oldest kyara at her house last weekend
    and put her to sleep in her house
    so i could quietly put rosa to bed
    and when kyara was asleep my mother brought her home to me
    what nice irma that you have a little boy
    greetings nadine
  2. suusje Guest #3

    Oh wow, that sounds like such a tough situation.
    May I ask why it went this way that your mom did so much and not, say, your husband? (Not meant offensively, of course!)
    But I’d also look at how your mom does things and then really start doing it yourself. It might be hard at first, but otherwise, she’ll just assume she’s the one dressing the baby instead of mom or dad.
    I can totally imagine that this makes you sad—it sounds like a really difficult situation.
    Good luck!
  3. nadine started this #4

    hi suusje thanks for your message
    it's like this i have a man who does a lot he works evenings but he takes care of the food and also helps with the housework since i also work during the week
    he helped a lot with our youngest daughter rosa
    he also helped at night in the beginning with the night feedings
    we took turns so i could get some sleep too
    but yes when i got pregnant with rosa then
    my mother offered to help with kyara because she told me then dear you won't find time to for example breastfeed because kyara will need a lot of attention she is also still too young to understand that you need time for the baby
    so i would consider it first and then when rosa was born it turned out to be better for my mother to take care of kyara
    that way i could also take a nap with rosa in the afternoon during the day when she slept
    kyara was and still is by the way a very spirited
    and busy girl so at 1 year old she also needed a lot of attention
    so that's how it went the agreement was that my mother would do that until
    the breastfeeding time
    but it has actually remained like that
    in the beginning i also found it quite difficult that my mother put kyara to bed at half past 6
    i was used to putting her to bed at 7:45 before rosa was here
    but yes i couldn't say anything then of course because my mother took care of kyara so also her way and her sleep times
    i hope i've explained it clearly
    greetings nadine
  4. nadine started this #5

    just wanted to add something:
    i never had a problem with it in her house when we still lived there
    but now it's kind of a problem since she's so used to her grandma
    it could work like last week when my mom put her to sleep at her place and then brought her to me while she was asleep
    but what if grandma isn't there one time then i'm stuck
    and also when she has those tantrums i can't calm her down
    grandma can though she's used to grandma's approach
    greetings nadine
  5. irma Guest #6

    But Nadine, you don't have 2, you have 1, get it? Go do something fun with the oldest alone, build trust in each other.
    But I'll never want to live with parents or in-laws unless there's no other option. We can chain them to their part-time jobs.
  6. irma Guest #7

    Do you mean if I work, grandparents take care of the baby?
    I have a list with feeding times, possible naps, and what to do when sad.
  7. nadine started this #8

    Yeah, that’s true. I’ve mostly always done more with the youngest, but when I put the youngest to bed, I always let Kyara play a game on the computer in the living room until I’m done with the youngest. And then she sometimes wants to seek negative attention. She often plays nicely and keeps herself occupied for a long time, but there are also days when she suddenly comes to bother me when I’m putting Rosa to bed. I’m not used to that because before, my mom would keep Kyara busy while I put Rosa to bed. But I do need to spend more time with both daughters and do things together. I need to get used to that. But it’s a good idea to work on that. Maybe it will strengthen my bond with Kyara too. Greetings, Nadine
  8. nadine started this #9

    It's new to me too because I had to focus only on pink at first, of course.
    I'll try to figure out what to do with both.
    Greetings, Nadine
  9. trotsemama #10

    What a story. This is a tough situation for you. You can involve the oldest in the care too. Go put the youngest to bed together with her. Let the oldest read a little story to the youngest before bedtime. Kids can come up with really nice stories based on pictures. See where the oldest's interests lie. Once you know that, plan to do that with her once a day. If it's crafting, then craft once a day. It doesn't have to be long; a quarter of an hour is enough for kids. The youngest can join in or play around you. Give lots of compliments. They can be really simple things. Just say in passing that you're proud of her or that you love her. That you think she's doing a great job with certain things. Also involve the oldest in your life. Do you need to go grocery shopping? Make a shopping list together with her. Discuss with her what's needed at home. Then go shopping together and let her find the items. She's 5, so she naturally feels quite grown up. To strengthen the bond with her sister, the bedtime routine is good, as well as playing games with both girls. The oldest will then adapt to the youngest's level. Go swimming together.

    Hopefully, this helps you a bit.
    I wish you lots of success.

    P.S. Have you talked to her yet? Ask what she likes so much about grandma. Ask why she cries and resists when you put her to bed. She'll give you most of the information, and you can do something with that. Just make sure you have a conversation at her level and keep it light. If you notice something's wrong, ask her about it.
  10. nadine started this #11

    hi proudmom
    thank you so much for your advice
    I can definitely use some of this
    I also think it's true that I don't involve her enough in little things
    and it's often the case that she always wants to help with little things and then I'm busy with her sister and I think I'll just do it quickly myself
    then she often gets offended
    I think I don't give her enough attention and often just rush through everything
    I rush through the day
    and overlook that little bit of interest in her little things and that little bit of attention
    and that's something I didn't see my mom do
    my mom would always sit with a cup of tea together with her on the couch talking often with her
    and let her do many things herself which she thought was wonderful
    besides that my mom and by the way had a lot of patience with her
    I think quickly of hurry up now
    while my mom always took the time for her and always put herself in her shoes
    and if she had a tantrum my mom always tried to change her mood with jokes and distract her
    she never lost her patience with Kyara
    and that's something I need to start doing like my mom
    because my mom could always reach her that way
    while I rush through the day with my haste and impatience
    pushing her further away from me
    I think she misses that too from me
    that calm approach she got from grandma
  11. nadine started this #12

    my mom always showed genuine, pure interest in her and they often laughed together, having the most fun
    she really was in her own world of experience
    i think i’m too serious and distant with her
    because i’m always rushed, i’m never really present with her
    something my mom definitely takes the time for
    i also think it’s a really good tip from you to do something completely alone with her so she gets mama’s full attention
    and to talk more with her because i basically never do that with her
    and i notice she often needs that
    and then i’m always too busy with her sister
    i also notice that i chat more cheerfully with her sister because i know her better than the oldest
    and that’s not right, of course, because Kyara is also my little girl
    with Kyara i kind of use a teacher-like tone
    my mom also says you always speak in an authoritative, commanding tone
    with my mom, talking to her is always spontaneous
    my mom also often immediately understands what she means
    when she has a tantrum
    but anyway, i’ll try to involve her when i put her sister to bed instead of giving her my phone to play a game and wait for me in the living room
    i’ll involve her and actually let her help
    and with the shopping list
    letting her think along will surely be wonderful for her
    something i never thought of before
    thanks for the tips
    this has helped me a lot
    it’s also true what you say about letting her help
    because she really likes to be needed and loves getting compliments and helping out
    i used to always see that when my mom gave her something where she could help grandma
    that i never thought of that myself
    i’m going to start working on this
    greetings, Nadine
  12. trotsemama #13

    Glad you've got something out of it. Let me know if the band also gets better with her because of this?

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