My Son Forbade Me to Help with His Baby Thinking He’s an Experienced Dad until Only I Can Help Him – Story of the Day

My son banned me from helping him with his baby, saying he was an experienced father and knew better. But one night, I got a call from him, begging me to come over immediately. When I went there, I was moved to tears.

Grandmas out there would move heaven and earth for their grandchildren. I, Patricia Thomas, 58, am one of those. I was overly delighted when I became a grandma again. But that joy did not last long.

For some reason, my son Steve, 26, and his wife Sandra thought I should not be around their newborn baby boy, Kevin. When I asked them for their reasons, they told me in my face that they already knew enough about child-rearing, so they didn't need my assistance.

"Mom, we know better. We've attended parent training courses, so you don't have to worry. Just stay away from my baby," said my son one day.

Little did he know there would come a day when he would need my help...

When my oldest son Alex, 28, had his three babies, he was happy to have me around. I shared all my wisdom and helped him raise his three daughters, just like how I raised my two sons.

"Mom, I have an emergency, and I need you," cried my son. "Can you please come over quickly? Please, mom, don't delay."

After Alex moved out of state to work, I thought I would still be a useful grandma to my younger son's children. They already had a 4-year-old daughter they raised with my help.

They were happy to have me around at the time. But when Kevin was born six months ago, their mindset changed. Although I was willing to help them with their baby, they did not want me around anymore.

"But son, what is the problem? I can change those diapers. And he is calm in my arms," I said one day when Steve grabbed his baby from my arms. I was stunned and felt I had done something wrong by taking his baby from the cradle when nobody was around to change his dirty diaper.

"Mom, don't touch him without my permission. He might get rashes. You've been wearing the same sweater for the past two days, and it smells musky."

I was hurt and walked away. But it didn't end there. Sandra never allowed me to wash her baby or even sing lullabies to him. She felt I was disturbing the baby's sleep when I wasn't.

One day, I thought it was enough and decided to have a word with Steve, hoping he would give me a chance to help with baby-tending.

"Son, I am no stranger to parenting," I said. "I raised you and Alex and helped raise his three kids. There are certain things that modern parenting courses don't teach you. Please try to understand. Let me help with your baby."

But Steve was furious. He snapped my hand off his shoulder and said, "Look, mom, my wife and I know better. We're experienced parents, and we don't want to count on your old methods to raise our son. We know better. I don't want to talk about this again."

Although I yearned to be a doting grandmother, I was pushed to be just a visitor. My son and his wife felt it was better without me coming around often, so I reduced my daily visits to just once or twice a week. I was deeply hurt. I was deprived of my role as a grandmother, and I could do nothing.

One day, I saw Sandra and my granddaughter boarding a cab. They had gone to visit Sandra's mother in the neighboring state. Steve told me it was an emergency but did not give details. I prayed for Sandra's mother and hoped that Steve would finally invite me to stay over to help him look after his baby. That's not what happened.

"But son, your wife is away, and I'm sure you will need help with your baby," I said, disappointed. "There are certain things that a man cannot do for an infant that only a mother can."

"Mom, are we getting into this again?" he fumed. "I told you, I'm Kevin's father, and I know better. I know how to change his diapers and feed him. Please leave me alone. Please go home."

I wanted to burst into tears, so I immediately rushed out of my son's house. I knew I was not a lousy grandma, but my son was fixed not to have me around his baby. Heartbroken, I returned home and locked myself in my room the entire day. I was too hurt, and you can probably imagine how I felt.

I had dozed off when a phone call startled me. "A call at 1:30 a.m.? Who could it be?" I mumbled and was shocked when I learned it was Steve. My heart began to race.

"Mom, I have an emergency, and I need you," cried my son. "Can you please come over quickly? Please, mom, don't delay."

Although I was upset about whatever he said, the mother in me jumped to my feet and drove as fast as I could to Steve's house. When I got there, I could hear Kevin's cries echoing in the house. He was wriggling in his dad's arms, kicking and screaming.

"Mom, thank goodness you came! I don't know what to do!" said Steve. "He's been up and crying for over an hour. I tried calling Sandra, but she's not picking up. I don't know what to do!"

I sighed and smiled. It was a piece of cake. I extended my arms and felt Kevin's warmth for the first time in several days. I wanted to cry but had more important work to do.

I sang a sweet lullaby and thought Kevin would calm down, but he started to shriek. For a second, I panicked. I didn't want Steve to think I was just boasting about raising kids when I could not calm a weeping baby.

I remained calm and tried comforting the little one. Baby Kevin wouldn't stop crying. Just then, I knew exactly what to do. I knew what would calm the baby down and make him sleep like a cozy bear.

Steve watched in astonishment as I flipped the baby on his stomach and rested him on my arm. Seconds later, the toddler stopped crying and slept on my warm arm like a panda on a branch. It was so heartwarming it made me want to cry. But I did not move a bit because I did not want my baby boy to wake up.

"Mom! You're unbelievable!" Steve gasped. "I'm so sorry for keeping you away from Kevin. You know better, mom. My modern knowledge about parenting is nothing compared to your experience."

I smiled and was delighted that my son finally understood me. But deep inside, I was worried if Sandra would feel the same when she returned.

Three days later, my daughter-in-law arrived and was shocked to see little Kevin sleeping in my arms. She stormed towards me to take him away, but Steve stopped her.

"Why didn't you pick up my call, Sandra?" he fumed. "Didn't you know I would be having issues with our baby?" He told her what happened the other night and thanked me for being his savior.

"You know, it doesn't matter if I didn't pick up your call. Even I wouldn't know what to do in that situation," Sandra said. "Thank goodness your mom came over."

The two smiled and approached me, asking how I knew how to handle the situation. "Please tell us how you did it. It would be useful for us," Sandra said while Steve nodded.

"Yes, mom, please tell us."

"Well, son, it's simple. I just remembered how you cried the same way 26 years ago, and my mom told me to do what I did with your son!" I revealed. " And since your son is no different from you, this little trick helped even now!" I laughed.

The incident changed Steve and Sandra's opinion of me and my parenting experience. They were happy to have me around and even offered I move in with them, which I gladly accepted. I just wanted to be near my grandson, and although they insulted me before, a mother and grandmother's heart knows how to forgive.

It's been seven months since I moved in with my son and his family, and it was pure joy. I love watching my grandson grow up. Little Kevin will be turning one soon, and I can't wait to eat his birthday cake from his little hands!

What can we learn from this story?

• Listen to your parents and follow their advice because they are more experienced than you. Steve and Sandra refused when Patricia offered to help take care of their baby. They claimed they were experienced parents and didn't need her. They soon learned no amount of experience could match Patricia's when only she could calm their baby.
• Your parents raised you and may know better how to raise your children too. After becoming parents to their second child, Steve and Sandra shunned Patricia's advice about parenting. They told her that they knew better. They realized they were wrong when granny Patricia used her wisdom to put their crying baby to sleep with just a simple trick.

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This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.