Ugh...just need to vent for a moment.

So my MIL will not stop with hassling me for "more information" - more lists, making comments, etc. And she keeps questioning me and questioning me. The bottom line: she's annoyed that I'm telling her what to do...so she's going to make me pay for it by attempting to make it as hard as possible for me, as much of an intrusion as possible for me. Nothing unusual, sadly, this is her MO, not just with me but with everyone. Most people in the family just back down but I CAN NOT back down and let her make my child sick! Um, no! That can't happen.

Then last night (before they were supposed to have my kids today), my MIL left me a VM asking if Colin can have "any" wheat. (After like 50 discussions about this.)

I texted her back and told her, no, he can't have any gluten at all. Then she texted me back sounding impatient and offended that I said such a thing (????), saying she knows this and that's why she's been handing me lists of what he eats when he's over there...ummm? YOU ASKED, lady. (By the way, I have NEVER asked for those lists. I gave them GIGANTIC food lists with the world's easiest, cheapest GF foods that you can find in ANY food store on them and that's it...and that's only because *she asked* me for those lists. I have never asked her to extend herself *any farther* than feeding Colin *very common, very very very easy to find, inexpensive, little to no-prep* foods, I can't make this any easier!!! Seriously I can't.)

So they got home today...Colin was crying...the in-laws were looking like someone died...they had "something to tell me"...I swear to God they were so grim that I was actually scared...What did they need to tell me? That Evan had crackers, and Colin had half a cracker before they realized what was happening.

I told them it was all right but Colin was half-hysterical crying and my MIL went, with her lip trembling and the tears starting (she's a big "crier", cries constantly), "I know, Colin. I'm scared too."

WHAT. THE. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

Colin was crying and screaming...then he turned on his grandfather..."He's lying!" I about died from shock. THAT was how freaked out he was by that point that apparently I was going to somehow do something to him as "punishment" for eating half a cracker...? What in the world!!!!!!!!

Obviously she was drumming up this terror in him on the way home about how mad Mom was going to be...which is hilarious because I don't "get mad" about it with him...I do explain to him that he can't do it and that it makes him sick...and we certainly don't "punish" for it and what we do punish for in the home, is never hitting or anything drastic...usually it's the removal of a privilege for a certain period of time.

As they were leaving I was saying, "It's not a question of being scared or getting in trouble...it's a question of Colin missing too many days from being sick from wheat this year" but they (MIL and FIL) wouldn't listen and just kept walking away and pretty much ran to their car.

Emotional manipulation city. TOO. BAD. I am up to here with this! It is SO SIMPLE. Don't give my kid gluten. Easy. That's it.

Then my husband was starting to freak out and saying it was all Colin's fault...I pointed out that Colin is intellectually delayed and is a child and that NOBODY IS IN TROUBLE ANYWAY...he was saying Colin threw my FIL under the bus...I was getting upset, *at my MIL, not my husband* but my husband is a chip off the old block and started yelling that it's "not his" (my husband's) fault (Ummm, duh? I know that?) and ran away yelling and upset.

This is just...great.

This is how I get manipulated, my kid gets manipulated and the world goes to hell because...

...I dared to tell the MIL not to do something.

My husband was yelling that he thinks his mother should just stay away from the kids from now on. Fine with me. I know she is expecting a phone call or some drama to ensue. (She loves and needs the drama and attention, it's always something any time we see her, actually any time anybody sees her, family gatherings, etc.)

I'm not saying a damned thing. I am surely not apologizing for wanting my son to be healthy. I am not putting any bizarre strictures on anything. I'm not saying "You must feed him lemongrass extract in a bottle of Arctic spring water at a temperature of 92F once every five hours." I am saying go ahead and give him soup...pudding...yogurt...cheese...pepperoni...Chex cereal...milk...eggs...bacon...sausage...potatoes...ice cream...fruit...veggies...OMG the list goes on!!!!

I have had it with the lot of them. This is SO STUPID and I am so mad. Sorry for "yelling" so much in caps. Enough is enough already!