Question
Our 3 year old son is extremely attached to my mother inlaw. He asks and begs to see her all the time. A year ago she watched him in her home while we were at work. During the weekends and holidays his behavior was terrible. We realized this was because his grandmother was a pushover. She never said No, to anything. We tried to talk to her about it, provide resources but she did not accommodate. She admitted it was hard for her because she loves all her grandkids. It was a tricky situation. We decided to place him in a small preschool recommended by friends and he has done very well. He is happy and enjoys the time he spends there. He’s told us so. The teacher is also on the same page as far as discipline, guidance and acceptable behavior is concerned. We couldn’t be any more pleased with how much he has matured. We know he misses her. She occasionally watches him while we run errands or want to grab dinner. When we pick him up he screams and holds onto her legs. We have to peel him off of her and carry him to the car. She also does not help the situation when she offers to let him stay longer, further enabling his tirades. Before we drop him off or if we are all going over as a family to visit, we ask and remind him to respect the decision to leave, etc. What do we do? It seems like this will never end. We are building a house next door to her. I'm tempted to sell it as soon as it's finished. What can we do with his behavior? We don't want to restrict their interactions any more than we already have. Thanks!
