Against his wife’s wishes, James invited his mother into the house to see his newborn granddaughter.
Jamess mother, Margaret, is a nightmare when it comes to communication. She never respects anyones boundaries. She never liked Emmanot for any particular reason, but simply because James married her and she couldnt stand seeing him drift away.
Three weeks ago Emma gave birth to a tiny baby girl named Lily.
Margaret insisted on being in the delivery room, but Emma wanted James to be the only one there. So while Emma was in labour, Margaret lingered in the hospital corridor, shouting down the whole ward that she deserved to witness her greatgrandchilds birth.
Whenever Margaret steps foot in their home she clings to everything, berating Emma for being a poor housewife and even claiming Lily will grow up to be a terrible mother.
After those accusations Emma lost her temper and gave James an ultimatum: Margarets feet would never cross their threshold again. James understood; no one likes to be humiliated in their own home.
When they finally brought Lily home, the grandparents begged to meet her.
Emma agreed to let Margaret visit once, on the strict condition that she kept quiet. Margaret swore she would, but the moment she crossed the doorway a barrage of comments flew:
Its filthy in here. If you want to live like this, go on living like this. But out of respect for me, you could at least tidy up.
Emma snapped, telling Margaret she had no right to visit and that Lily could only be seen when they allowed it.
Nearly two weeks passed. The inlaws and Jamess father had already met the baby, but Margaret still had not shown up, and Emma refused to see her. They kept Lily inside because the weather outside was miserable.
Two days ago Emma had a doctor’s appointment, leaving James alone with Lily. He seized the chance to invite Margaret to see the baby. She arrived, and James warned her they only had two hours before Emma would return. She refused to leave, no matter how hard James tried to convince her.
Emma walked in, found Margaret cradling Lily, and suffered a complete nervous breakdownshe screamed at both of them, demanding Margaret leave the house at once.
In his mind James told Emma to shut up and calm down, reminding her that it was his house and his baby, and if he wanted his mother to see Lily she couldnt forbid it or throw her out.
Emma ultimately forced Margaret and James out. She now refuses to speak to either of them. James has moved back in with his parents. He hopes Emma will settle down again soon.
