My MIL posts these “stories” on social media about my kids, all the time. She thinks they are cute and funny, but every time I read one, I want to throw my phone against a wall.
This is today’s story…
I love writing stories. So humor me…..
I just sent my granddaughter into Ulta with $40 to get hair ties (I’m taking granddaughter and grandson to the beach Wednesday and she needed hair ties) because she was worried $20 wasn’t enough, and I left HER Ulta charge card (yes her grandfather got this for her to use for “necessities”) at home in my purse.
She walked out with her little orange bag and got into the car (I had food in the car and it is too hot to leave it w/o the AC running).
“Did you get your hair ties?” I asked. “Oh yes” she said.
“Uumm do I get change?” And then an adorable play by play begins.
Wow, just a couple weeks into summer break, and granddaughter breaks out her Math skills!!
I got $5 change.
Apparently there was a limited release of something from Sol de jenerio (sp) “and do you know what a limited release means?!!! This is it. No more. Please don’t be mad.”
Oh child, I thought, this is not one of those times. This is a time where everyone who knows me will say “just like her grandmother.” And for that reason, and the fact I got to be with her, my day has been blessed. #blessed
I’m so grateful for these times in my life! One day she might just turn to me and say “Mom Mom, remember that time I went into Ulta with $40 for hair ties and came out with $5 change because they had a limited release? Thank you for always having my back and not getting mad.” Because to me that’s everything!
Happy Monday, yall!! 💕💕💕
My daughter is on “Ulta restriction.” She is 11 and spends way too much of our money and my in-laws money on sprays, make up and hair products. We’ve really limited how often we go in there, and have been for the last several months. Unless I need to get a new concealer or some kind of makeup product we lament haven’t really been. My mom is a hair dresser, so I don’t need to go in for hair care. My MIL is well aware of her being on this restriction.
My in-laws thought it would be great to get a credit card with my daughter as an authorized user without having a conversation with us about it. I work in finance, my immediate reaction would be heck no! You can buy a gift card and make it reusable if you want to let her spend $ there.
My husband and I had this conversation about it, and he said he would talk to his dad. We all know I can’t say anything because the moment I do, I become the major bitch who has a problem with them “just doing what grandparents do.” Obviously a conversation hasn’t happened yet. And I guess I’m going to have to become the bitch. 🥴
I’m just so exhausted from dealing with all of this. 🤦🏻♀️
(Sorry, edited bc I’m on mobile and I formatting was weird)
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Be the bitch. this girl is your daughter. you and your husband make the rules for everything, including how involved she should be in cosmetics and how much money she spends on them. your mother-in-law should have zero input.
How can an 11-yr old be an authorized user on a credit card?
You’d better have DH shut this down asap bc this is just too ridiculous.
Also she let your 11 year old go in a store by herself? I wouldn’t be okay with that personally
So she has unsupervised access to your children and often undermines you to look like the hero in your child’s eyes? Then vaguely brags about her absolute disregard and disrespect if the values and discipline you’re trying to instill in your children? But it’s okay because she has a special bond with your daughter and is just like her? She gave your daughter excessive money for hair ties and then enabled her to purchase more than she went in for, which teaches your daughter that she is entitled to take advantage of others…
I would not be allowing grandma any more unsupervised access if you can help it. What kind of messages do you think you’re kids get from MIL doing things like this?
Exactly. And she definitely shouldn’t be allowed to encourage behaviour like basically stealing, and present it as „cute”. This is how you make entitled people.
She calls her Mom Mom? That BEC isn’t your mom. What the heck?
My grandmother never put my name as an authorized user on a credit card. Just throwing that out there as this is not a normal thing for grandparents to do.
I think you’re right to restrict this stuff. My oldest is almost 9 but kids even younger than her are literally doing “skincare routines” for their perfect children’s skin, buying serums, makeup, and taking videos of themselves like teenagers. Who knows what these kids are watching on TikTok. It’s actually insane and I think promotes so many self-image issues so young.
I don’t think your MIL should have your kids alone if she’s going to go against your rules, publicly post and brag about it, and let your 11 year old go alone into a store. I thought based on this story your daughter was at least 14-15.
I don’t even want to ask about “Mom Mom”.
Breaking boundaries to be the favorite grandmother, how novel. Not even going to touch the “Mom Mom” cuz 🤬
“Oh Mom Mom, she’s NOT YOUR DAUGHTER. Get it grannie?”
Mom Mom? I…uh…yikes
Ugh! These “stories” on SM are the WORST.
So weird.
Sorry you have such a geeky MIL.
Looks like the in-laws are now on granddaughter restriction.
What does an 11 year old NEED at Ulta? (Yes, I know it’s not 1990 anymore). I don’t shop at Ulta on the regular bc it’s expensive.
Remind husband and give ultimatum-he has a talk with MIL by xy day or YOU will. Also, you can not send your kids to “mom mom’s” house. “Mom mom” is such a weird title but it’s not the first time I’ve heard it (y’all from Arkansas, by chance?)
Yeah that would piss me off. But my biggest red flag here is how did they have your child’s SSN to open a credit card? I’ve set up authorized users multiple times and always needed that. Do you trust them to always pay that card on time and not affect your child’s credit?
So be a parent! DD doesn’t need to go out with Grandma —-sorry Mom Mom??— anymore. You have an eleven year old going into stores alone. Grandma gave her a credit card to circumvent your rules. Grandma is encouraging her to be a shopaholic, Ulta obsessed girl. Then she’s blabbing online at your child’s expense! So be a parent and cut off access. Clearly Grandma needs supervision just like your daughter. Otherwise, strap in for the teenage years when Grandma and DD team up against you and really rebel.
This is so cringy 😬. Where do we begin? Trying to push in on your title, disregarding your rules, parental alienation, unsupervised child, teaching REALLY bad lessons about money/shopping, and then bragging about it all like she isn’t some vapid boundary stomping grandma teaching really bad lessons. Who reads these “stories” anyway? Even if they weren’t so bad, who does “mom mom” think gives a fuck about an 11 year old’s trip to Ulta??
She’s setting your daughter up to be a spoiled, entitled brat who will give you a WAY harder time in her teens thanks to “mom mom” encouraging this behavior and making you the bad guy. She’s definitely more concerned w being the favorite than helping to raise the child to have good values.
Contact Ulta credit services, let them know card was opened without parental consent and have it canceled.
Mom mom 🤢🤢 sucks sucks
Mom, mom?!?🙄
Be the head bitch in charge. Take the crown and wear it proudly.
Uh yeah that story was weird. In summary: I have impulse control and shopping problems and it’s sooo cute, my granddaughter takes after meee!! She’ll thank me for supporting this one day. Sounds like “mom mom” needs to be on “babysitting restriction”
Your MIL’s “cute story” is actually a subtle flex and a way to undermine your parenting decisions. She’s knowingly enabling your daughter’s overspending and making you look bad in the process. You’re not the bitch, she’s the enabler.
I am a grandmother myself….I am a mom mom actually
The kids chose that name for me
ANYWAYS This is 6 shades of wrong. If my daughter said not to take the kids to certain stores-WE NO GO!
NO 11YR NEEDS TO BE IN ULTA UNSUPERVISED.
WTF does she even need from there?
because I’m a full grown (supposed) adult and I see no reason to use that store when I can find better elsewhere
(no shame if its your thing)
My girls are 24 and 21-they didn’t even enter an Ulta until they were late teens.
Time to sit Granny down and have a conversation where she done mucked up therefore her access to grandkids just got choke chain tight.
And shame on your husband for not keeping his mother in line!
Yeah, no, this isn’t “just grandparent stuff,” it’s boundary-stomping with a pastel Instagram filter.
She’s turning your kid into content while actively undermining your parenting and restrictions she knows are in place. The credit card move? Straight-up wild. That’s not cute, it’s financial grooming.
You’re not “the bitch”, you’re the only adult acting like one. Let them pout. Shut it down.
This isn’t just boundary stomping; she is actively teaching her how to go into credit card debt. Your daughter is lucky to have you. My parents had a ton of credit card debt and they made sure I knew growing up exactly how addictive spending like that can be and how badly it can damage your life. I have exactly 0$ in credit card debt, the same amount I’ve always had.
While MIL is wrong to over ride your desire to teach your daughter reasonable spending habits, putting her on a credit card will build her credit score before she becomes an adult. I learned accidentally when I put my teen on a card. He had basically my credit score when he applied for his own card.
This makes your MIL sound like a clueless loon who got played by her granddaughter. $20 wasn’t enough for hair ties? Were they made of spun gold? Why couldn’t they buy hair ties at Walgreens or CVS or Dollar Tree?
She’s probably also the type to complain about how kids these days have no work ethic, etc. Definitely not cute.
I see that you’re ambivalent about advice – so as a makeup artist of several decades who profoundly dislikes the power of media over growing minds – I am very much in agreement on reining in the amount of money spent at soulless conglomerates like Ulta and Sephora, and pride myself on empowering individuals to make more personally responsible choices in beauty care.
If I were in this position, I’d install an automatic return system and maintain those dollar limits. And whatever Ulta won’t take back, I’d make a big deal of returning the dollar amount to the grandparents in their local supermarket gift card. Can’t be used elsewhere or cashed out.
I don’t play. I hope you resolve your wayward in-laws in a satisfying manner. Good luck!
I’m a grandma never ever would l even consider giving a child a credit card whatever type, how is this teaching her about money? Budgeting? Which everyone has to do!
It feels like your mil is buying your child’s affection
Would your child want to spend so much time with grandma if she wasn’t being spoiled? No one needs 40 dollars of hair ties.
Well past time to put your foot down lay down the law this is not her child, she’s acting like it is.
She sent her into the expensive makeup store for hair ties? Not target or Walmart or a drug store or literally any other store? Weird. Weird enough that it was 100% a set up that your MIL engineered specifically so she would have a “cute story” to post
So she’s overriding you and bragging about it, where you can see no less…
That would be the last day out for a good long while.
Take the credit card from your child, Mom. She may be an authorized user but not if it’s not in her possession. Plus Grandma would be on time out too for taking her there.
you need a child’s social security number to make them an authorized user on a credit card. how did they get your daughter’s social security number and honestly where else are they using her SS # and what other cards is DD authorized on that you don’t know about?
Jfc. Why even give her $40 for HAIR TIES? Then be all like Wowweeeeww when she doesn’t get more than $5 in change?
Smh. The materialism promoted by social media isn’t funny or cute. It’s breeding a ton of future shopaholics who are bound for a life of debt and dependency.
Lock down your daughter’s credit. They won’t be able to add her to anymore cards.
Plus its free and keeps their credit safe.
I’m glad I’m not the only one locked into a fight about why my tween doesn’t need Ulta and Sephora makeup ( or makeup at all), fancy nails.
11 years old is too young to need anything from Ulta, she can go to Walmart for some hair ties. Your husband needs to grow a backbone and put his foot down before she turns into (sounds like it’s starting) an entitled spoiled brat and there’s enough of those running around.
My grandparents never got me a credit card. Just sayin.
She goes by Mom Mom? 🚩