Dear Annie: I am 26 and a single parent to a three-year-old girl. I love my daughter more than anything in this world. However, in the past few months, she has become a brat and a monster, doing everything she can to test me.
Due to recent financial problems, we had to move in with my mother until I can finish my degree and get a job. No matter what discipline I use, nothing works because my mother undermines me. There is no consistency in what is right or wrong. My mother always gives in to her every request.
Once in a while, I will spank my daughter, but only on very rare occasions. I would never hurt her. My mother, however, cornered me and gave me a lecture on how awful I am for spanking my child. Yet I can clearly recall being spanked by my mother numerous times when I was little.
Mom often questions my parenting in front of my daughter and then treats me like an eight-year-old. I am enormously grateful that she opened her home to us, but I can’t be an effective parent when she constantly undercuts my authority. How can I get her to keep her child-rearing opinions to herself and allow me to make the parenting decisions for my child? — Texas
Dear Texas: While we agree with your mother that discipline does not require spanking your daughter, we also understand how difficult it is to raise a child when an indulgent grandparent rules the roost. First, have a sit-down discussion with Mom when your daughter is asleep. Get her to acknowledge that a lack of discipline is not healthy for her grandchild. And you can compromise by agreeing to use different forms of discipline other than spanking. Create rules you can both abide by. If that doesn’t work, bring Mom to your next pediatrician appointment, and ask the doctor to speak to her. And please, find other living arrangements as soon as possible.
Dear Annie: “Scared Sister” said she was afraid whenever her sister, “Louise,” had to drive at night, because her vision was impaired.
My 22-year-old son’s night driving was scary. It took two separate visits to the ophthalmologist to discover that he had congenital cataracts. It affected his depth perception.
He was very clumsy as a little kid and had a lot of bruises. It was unnerving to be questioned by the school principal about child abuse. Despite multiple eye exams, the cataracts were not diagnosed until recently. Maybe “Louise” has the same condition. — Accused Mom