A family has three sets of loving, involved grandparents for a six-month-old. The parents try to balance time among grandparents, but the father’s wife creates major stress during visits. She worries about many possible risks, refuses to come over because of fears involving a dog, and prevents the baby from touching or playing with items that have been on the floor due to germs. Normal playful interactions like pretend play, raspberries, and sitting on shoulders trigger fear and visible panic. Parents feel on edge, manage her anxiety throughout visits, and leave exhausted and burnt out. They also worry about the baby absorbing this constant stress.
"For example, we have a sweet dog and she won't come over because she's afraid the dog might jump on her while she's holding the baby and she could then drop her. This means anytime she wants to see our daughter-and I do try to balance getting everyone equal time because I don't want any hurt feelings-I have to drive an hour each way to go to her house."
"Last time we were over, she wouldn't let my daughter play with anything that had touched the floor because of germs, even though I told her we weren't overly concerned about normal exposure and we had also put a clean blanket down."
"Normal play such as holding her up to pretend-airplane, blow raspberries on her stomach, or sit on dad's shoulders is met with gasps and clutching of the sofa arms. She makes me and my husband feel on edge during every visit, and we leave feeling exhausted and burnt out managing her anxiety."
"I know babies are little sponges, and I really don't want our daughter picking up this constant str"
Read at Slate Magazine
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