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       #Post#: 4271--------------------------------------------------
       Re: We bought the "wrong souvenirs"
   DIR By: LurkingGurl
       Date: June 3, 2018, 1:36 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Just agree with her.  Say "Oh my goodness, you're right!  I
       can't believe we forgot to get LO a plumbus!  We will definitely
       have to get one next time we go!"
       Arguing doesn't work.  If you just agree with her then you both
       can be in harmony over the regret that LO will have to wait
       awhile before she can have a plumbus.  And you can offer that
       it's something to look forward to!
       I don't know how old your MIL is but when I want my
       grandchildren to have something, I just buy it online and have
       it sent.  Perhaps she is not as internet savvy?
       #Post#: 4328--------------------------------------------------
       Re: We bought the "wrong souvenirs"
   DIR By: LifeOnPluto
       Date: June 4, 2018, 6:37 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Perhaps this is a good situation to ask your MIL: "Why do you
       care?" (politely of course).
       I suspect maybe she is the one who has always wanted a "pet
       rock" (or wanted one as a child, but never got one?).
       #Post#: 4355--------------------------------------------------
       Re: We bought the "wrong souvenirs"
   DIR By: Bada
       Date: June 4, 2018, 10:37 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Bwahaha. Mothers in law have been so maligned that people have
       concluded this must be a thread about an evil MIL. Alas, this
       thread is about my mother, not MIL.  :D
       I'm not sure you can buy this Pet Rock online. But souvenirs are
       only really fun in the moment, not ordered online I think. And
       it's not really age appropriate, so it's not like LO is missing
       out.
       #Post#: 4362--------------------------------------------------
       Re: We bought the "wrong souvenirs"
   DIR By: LurkingGurl
       Date: June 4, 2018, 11:14 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Oh sorry!  That was my fault!  I don't know why I thought "MIL."
       You might also be able to  tell her that LO saw the thing and
       just wasn't interested in it.
       #Post#: 4377--------------------------------------------------
       Re: We bought the "wrong souvenirs"
   DIR By: GardenGal
       Date: June 4, 2018, 12:35 pm
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       --- Quote from: lakey link ---
       >
       >
       > GardenGal,
       > The good news is that for being 97 your MIL has a really good
       memory.
       >
       --- End Quote ---
       Lakey - She's really a sweetheart, and we're so fortunate that
       her health is pretty good for her age and her memory is better
       than mine!  Maybe we need a thread for good ML stories?
       #Post#: 4400--------------------------------------------------
       Re: We bought the "wrong souvenirs"
   DIR By: QueenFaninCA
       Date: June 4, 2018, 2:35 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       --- Quote from: TootsNYC link ---
       >
       > I would take her off speakerphone the moment she started that
       sort of thing.
       >
       --- End Quote ---
       But that's not the way speakerphone works. You can control on
       your end, i.e. in your room if you phone is on speaker or not.
       But you cannot control the other side if your call. The most you
       can do is to ask them not to have you on speakerphone.
       #Post#: 4404--------------------------------------------------
       Re: We bought the "wrong souvenirs"
   DIR By: TootsNYC
       Date: June 4, 2018, 2:56 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       --- Quote from: QueenFaninCA link ---
       >
       > [quote author=TootsNYC link=topic=316.msg4190#msg4190
       date=1527952035]
       > I would take her off speakerphone the moment she started that
       sort of thing.
       >
       --- End Quote ---
       But that's not the way speakerphone works. You can control on
       your end, i.e. in your room if you phone is on speaker or not.
       But you cannot control the other side if your call. The most you
       can do is to ask them not to have you on speakerphone.
       [/quote]
       But it IS the OP's end that I'm talking about--that's the end
       where her child is, and where her child can hear Grandma's
       comments.
       By taking her off speakerphone ASAP, it cuts off the child's
       ability to hear Grandma's continuing complaints.
       Who cares what Grandma does in her house; the child's ears
       aren't there. They're in the OP's living room.
       However, in retrospect, in this instance I actually agree with
       this:
       --- Quote from: Mary Sunshine Rain link ---
       >
       > Just agree with her.  Say "Oh my goodness, you're right!  I
       can't believe we forgot to get LO a plumbus!  We will definitely
       have to get one next time we go!"
       >
       > Arguing doesn't work.  If you just agree with her then you
       both can be in harmony over the regret that LO will have to wait
       awhile before she can have a plumbus.  . . .
       >
       --- End Quote ---
       Mary Sunshine Rain has a point; sometimes resistance just
       creates more resistance. If you agree, you can steer the
       conversation and end it more quickly, I bet.
       And you will have a greater influence on your child's sense of
       contentment, I think.
       #Post#: 4407--------------------------------------------------
       Re: We bought the "wrong souvenirs"
   DIR By: bopper
       Date: June 4, 2018, 3:02 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       All you can do is set boundaries. If the other person responds,
       then great! If not..then they get less access.
       1) Take her off of speakerphone to help with the immediate
       situation
       2) Address it in the moment "Mom, are you seriously complaining
       about what souvenirs we got our own child? Yes we know pet rocks
       are in right now, but it is not appropriate for a 2 year old.
       Please drop it."
       3) If she brings it up again, then you say "I see the
       conversation is running in a circle.  Bye, Mom..talk to you next
       week."
       3) If this sort of thing happens often, then stop telling your
       mom about what you do...or at least in less detail.
       #Post#: 4520--------------------------------------------------
       Re: We bought the "wrong souvenirs"
   DIR By: CrazyDaffodilLady
       Date: June 5, 2018, 1:15 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       I had a friend (gone now) who was a very proper Southern lady. I
       loved watching her responses to awkward situations.  When
       someone was haranguing her about something ridiculous that she
       would never agree with, she'd smile sweetly and say, "You might
       be right".
       #Post#: 4551--------------------------------------------------
       Re: We bought the "wrong souvenirs"
   DIR By: Bada
       Date: June 5, 2018, 3:24 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       --- Quote from: bopper link ---
       >
       > All you can do is set boundaries. If the other person
       responds, then great! If not..then they get less access.
       > ...
       > 3) If this sort of thing happens often, then stop telling your
       mom about what you do...or at least in less detail.
       >
       --- End Quote ---
       She's already on an Information Diet (a phrase I learned on
       eHell).  There's a lot she doesn't know and my life is less
       complicated for it!
       As for telling her she might be right...  That's not really my
       nature. I just can't see myself using that option, though some
       of the other suggestions on here seem more do-able, like
       ignoring the question or asking her to not create discontentment
       where there is none. And definitely leaving the room with the
       phone when she's on video call or turning off speaker phone so
       LO doesn't have to hear her nonsense.
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