After you have kids, something as ordinary as getting proper sleep turns into a challenging task. Now, imagine having twins, which means double the trouble and double the sleep deprivation, thanks to the domino effect where one starts crying and the other follows.
To avoid just that, Reddit user GingerKenobi turned away his partner’s grandparents as they had just put the twins to sleep and the elderly couple had popped up unannounced. However, drama erupted after this as his partner’s father simply lost it and yelled his head off at her!
More info: Reddit
When you have newborns in the house, even something like proper sleep seems like a luxury
Image credits: RDNE Stock project / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The poster and his partner have newborn twins, and they are currently living next to his partner's parents
Image credits: GingerKenobi
Image credits: Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels (not the actual photo)
One day, when the couple had put the twins to sleep, the partner's dad called and said that her grandparents were coming to see the babies
Image credits: GingerKenobi
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The grandparents rang the doorbell twice and woke one of the twins, but the poster quickly went to the door and turned them away
Image credits: GingerKenobi
The annoyed grandma complained about this to the partner's dad, who in turn yelled his head off at her over the phone
Today, we peek into the lives of new parents who are looking after their twins and had to deal with some unannounced visitors. The couple stays in a house that they're renovating next to the woman's parents. However, they have clearly set boundaries with her parents that they don’t want any surprise visits as they like their privacy.
One fine day, the woman’s dad texted that his parents had arrived unannounced and even called to tell them the same. Well, the couple had just put the twins to bed, and even his partner was resting, so OP answered the phone and told him that it was not a good time. Unfortunately, while he was on the call, the grandparents rang the doorbell twice, which woke one twin, so the poster rushed to the door.
He clearly told them that the babies and his partner were finally tucked in, and even after that, when the grandma still tried to step in the house, he refused and said they needed the rest. The woman acted like it was fine and walked away, but since the babies woke up, OP’s partner called her father, who just blew up!
He yelled at the poor woman about how he had to deal with her angry grandma now and even cursed on the phone, which reduced her to tears. Probably feeling bad about the whole ordeal, OP vented online and wondered whether he should have just let the grandparents come in and disturb their peace. However, netizens said "no way" as he had done nothing wrong.
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
It has been observed that parents of twins or multiples experience heightened symptoms of depression, anxiety, and parenting stress. Research also suggests that parenting twins is a critical time for couples to bring in support and activate self-care because of the increased fatigue, the increased pressure on resources, and the risk for social isolation.
Looking at everything that the couple is struggling with, it’s pretty obvious that they want their privacy from unannounced visitors. When the entitled grandparents and the father broke their boundary, it was naturally a cause for frustration for them, as the twins started crying due to the doorbell.
Psychology Today states that when parents refuse to accept the boundaries set by their adult children, it can result in familial estrangement. Something similar might happen with the people involved in today’s story, as the poster also mentioned in the comments that they are planning to move out soon.
Folks also highlighted that they were utterly perplexed by the father’s behavior when he just yelled at the woman and reduced her to tears. Research suggests that new mothers might face postnatal depression, and added to the stress of parenting twins, her father’s behavior toward her sounds quite harsh. Many people advised OP to have a talk with him about it or just move somewhere else.
That does make sense, doesn’t it? What would you do if you were in the poster’s shoes? Let us know in the comments below!
Folks online were baffled by the father's extreme reaction and advised the poster to have a serious talk with him
