Mother-In-Law Says She Doesn't Want 'My Baby' All Over Social Media—The Baby's Mom Gets Told To Follow The Demand
The baby boy's mom is insisting that she makes the rules but others believe the grandma might be in the right.
@lena.boston / TikTok Anyone with overbearing in-laws will tell you that they attempt to micromanage everything they do, especially when it comes to their children — who they often believe are “their” babies.
One woman shut down her toxic mother-in-law after she instructed the mother what to do with “her” baby.
The mother-in-law told the woman that she doesn’t want ‘my baby’ on social media.
Lena Boston, a mother of two, often shares cute videos and images of her sons on her social media accounts, and many viewers love watching her make memories with her babies.
However, some family members disagree with her and her husband’s decision to post their children on the Internet.
One of them is Boston’s mother-in-law who she describes as “toxic.” In a TikTok video that has accumulated nearly 2 million views, Boston shared an exchange with her mother-in-law where she asked her to refrain from posting her children on the Internet.
“My mother-in-law texted me today, ‘hi sweetheart, how is my baby?’” the mother wrote in the text overlay of the video of her infant son being pushed in his stroller.
“‘I was watching your TikTok and Instagram stories. You gotta remove your baby from social media. I don’t want my baby all over the Internet.’”
In the comments section, users actually took the mother-in-law's side and warned the new mom to listen to her demands.
"You know she is right," claimed one user. "Her words are foul but she is valid for the internet comments," insisted another. "She's not toxic. She wants to protect your child and her grandchild," said a third.
Boston assured her mother-in-law that she and her husband did not have an issue sharing their babies on social media and would continue doing so.
“I texted her back, “‘our son is doing great. Thanks for asking. I appreciate your concern but I and your son don’t have a problem posting him on Instagram and TikTok." Her response was not one that her mother-in-law was willing to accept.
“I’m not asking you to remove my baby off the Internet. You have to do it because I’m his grandmother and I don’t want him there.”
She didn’t stop there. In a follow-up video, Boston claimed that her mother-in-law had been “blowing up her phone all day” demanding that she remove her baby from her social media accounts.
Thankfully, her husband had her back and stepped in. “My husband told her that everything is okay but she is crying over it.”
The grandmother called her son and daughter-in-law “disrespectful” for refusing to give in to her demands. “We told her it’s a normal thing to post your baby on social media but she says she is against it because babies can’t speak up for themselves,” Boston added.
She shared that she is “exhausted” from dealing with her mother-in-law and sought the advice of viewers.
Other TikTok users offered suggestions for Boston on how to handle her toxic mother-in-law moving forward.
“Block her from your social media accounts, sometimes it’s not worth the fight,” one user commented. “Go no contact with her. Her calling the baby ‘her’ baby is crossing a boundary. You are the parent,” another user advised. “Remove all pictures of ‘her’ baby — your husband. Let her know that you did exactly what she asked,” another user suggested.
Boston is not the only daughter-in-law who has difficulties with her mother-in-law. According to one study, 60% of mother and daughter-in-law relationships are strained, drastically different than the 15% of mother/son-in-law relationships.
Referring to her grandson as “my baby” and requesting that her daughter-in-law remove him from social media is not the only line Boston’s mother-in-law has crossed. In another TikTok video, she reveals the unnecessary and rude comments her mother-in-law has made to her over the last few weeks.
RELATED: Mother-In-Law Insists On Being Called 'Mama' By Grandkids — But Their Mom Wants To Refuse
“You need to go back to work. You’re spending my son’s hard-earned money,” was just one of the examples.
“If you are staying at home and not working, you need to make sure that dinner is cooked daily and the house is spotless. This is your job as a housewife,” was another.
She also attempted to offer unsolicited advice about raising children. “Listen to my advice about the baby because I’m older and more experienced than you are.”
She sounds like the mother-in-law from h–l, and we hope that Boston and her husband continue to hold their ground to keep her from crossing any more boundaries.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.