Grandma Insists On Taking Photos Of Chunky 14-Week-Old Grandson From 'Far Away' To Make Him Look Skinnier
She is no stranger to criticizing other peoples' weight.
VPhotographie | Shutterstock A heartbroken woman and her husband decided to rescind an invitation to Thanksgiving for the woman’s mother-in-law after she made some pretty insulting comments regarding the couple’s 14-week-old baby boy.
The mother-in-law insisted that her grandson is overweight and would only allow him to be in photographs under one cruel condition.
The grandma only wanted to photograph her baby grandson from ‘far away’ due to his weight.
The baby’s mother turned to Reddit to share her in-law horror story. She explained that her 63-year-old mother-in-law has a difficult time respecting other peoples’ boundaries and often makes inappropriate comments about others’ physical appearances.
The mom wrote, “She is very vocal about other people’s bodies and has always been mean to me so I did not want her near me.” She went on to say, “She told me I looked like a junkie a few weeks after I gave birth (C-section, lost a lot of blood was very anemic) and made comments about me no longer having a belly (from pregnancy).”
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Even though the woman’s husband asked his mother to refrain from making comments about other people’s bodies around them, she claimed that everyone was being too sensitive and taking her remarks to heart.
The grandma planned on visiting the family for Thanksgiving to spend time with her new grandson, and the new mom was dreading it.
The grandma has already expressed concern about her 14-week-old grandson’s weight.
“Yesterday she was inquiring what we feed our baby saying we should give him water and juice,” the woman wrote. “We’ve told her before you have to wait until they are older for that.”
The mother-in-law decided to simply just say what she was thinking — she believed that her grandson was fat. Meanwhile, his pediatrician said that his weight is right where it should be and that he is thriving.
Still, her mother-in-law continued to insist that the baby was fat.
“She continued and then said to take pictures of him from far away so he wouldn’t look so fat,” the mom shared.
“My husband hung up the phone on her and later texted telling them not to come for Thanksgiving.”
The new parents disinvited Grandma from Thanksgiving after she fat-shamed their baby.
“Who speaks like this about a baby? What is there to hide by taking a photo from far away? He is a gorgeous baby, happy and healthy!” she wrote, adding that even if her baby was overweight, it should not bother her mother-in-law, nor should it be something his parents have to hide.
While the woman reported that her mother-in-law sent a text wishing her grandson a blessed Thanksgiving, she did not apologize for her offensive comments.
The mom did add an interesting tidbit to her post, "Plot twist: she is overweight but no one brings this up because that is her body and her problem but I don’t get where these standards are coming from, he is an infant! I’m so enraged!"
Making critical remarks about a child’s weight from a young age can have adverse effects on their self-esteem.
Suppose children are old enough to hear people making disparaging comments about their weight. In that case, they may internalize the message, develop a poor self-image, struggle to have a healthy relationship with food, and may even become more susceptible to developing eating disorders.
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As babies and young children develop into fully functioning human beings, their bodies are bound to grow and change, and weight gain is a healthy part of that change.
Babies, especially, are meant to be gaining weight rapidly. It ensures that they’re getting enough nutrition and growing properly. The fact that this little boy's pediatrician said he was right on track is all that anyone should discuss when it comes to weight.
A chunky baby is nothing to be ashamed of. It means that they are healthy, and they deserve to be front and center in all pictures!
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.