Drama with in-laws oftentimes feels inevitable, and one Alabama father ran into a dispute with his mother-in-law after she gave his child new toys. More specifically, she wanted her 3-year-old granddaughter to play with tiny glass jars, something that her dad was completely opposed to. Going by Justadudeonhisphone on Reddit, he posted his frustration on r/mildlyinfuriating, where he also mocked his mother-in-law over her religion, which was unrelated to the debate about the glass toys.
In response to someone asking Justadudeonhisphone whether his mother-in-law had a mental disorder or illness, he responded with, “Worst. She’s a fundamentalist Christian.” OP didn’t elaborate further on why he believed the religion of his daughter’s grandmother was connected to her controversial gift. However, plenty of the hundred Reddit users in the comments did appear to agree with his opposition.
“Are any of us ever really old enough to play with glass?!?!?!” questioned a Redditor. Another recalled in horror how their 3-year-old niece broke a glass snowglobe gift within minutes. “She can use them to store all her razor blades,” joked a third, referring to the glass jars from the mother-in-law.
Many Redditors Disagreed with the Father, Saying His Daughter Could Learn from Playing with Glass
On the other hand, a large majority of commenters spoke out against Justadudeonhisphone’s position on his daughter playing with glass. “I get where you’re coming from, but honestly, kids learn how to handle delicate objects by being allowed to handle them,” pointed out a commenter. A second echoed with the same sentiment, adding how Montessori educators let children use “cups/bowls/toys that are made from ceramic/ glass actually provides them with opportunities to learn control of error.”
Some encouraged the dad to let his daughter have the glass jars as long as he supervises her. A few others accused the father of just disliking his mother-in-law, which would explain the off-kilter joke about her religion. “It just sounds like you have some unresolved conflict with your mother-in-law and you would like some reinforcement from strangers about that,” wrote a Redditor.
Ultimately, it’s up to the dad to be responsible for what his 3-year-old plays with. His concern about her safety with glass is valid, but keeping her from handling fragile objects also withholds valuable development from her. However, for sure, none of this has to do with his mother-in-law being a fundamentalist Christian.
