The food thing is really frustrating. I really don't think I'm being that unreasonable about it, but my mom has weird issues with food. She force feeds my kids and seems to want to make sure they eat as unhealthy as she can make it. Like, I've walked in before and heard her say "Just two more bites of your donut and then you can go play". I mean, sheesh! Maybe if it was broccoli or something, but she's clearly not hungry and you're making her eat a donut!

She thinks that the whole "kids putting toys in their mouths" phase is bogus. If a kid puts a toy in their mouth, it means they're hungry. I've tried to show her articles about normal phases of childhood, but she doesn't buy it. If my kids put things in their mouths as babies/toddlers, she immediately went and got food to stuff in their mouths. On several occasions, she told me that one of them threw up because they ate too much. That has never happened at my house. Then when I pick them up, she'll pack up this huge box of cookies, donuts, chips, etc for me to take home for the kids. When I say no, she'll say "You need to take it, I don't want that kind of food at my house." Um...you understand that the foods are unhealthy, and you don't eat them yourself, but you think my kids should eat them?

She's really great with my kids otherwise. They absolutely obsessively love their grandmother and I want them to have a great relationship with her. It just seems like when I ask for help with this issue the responses are either "You're being too controlling" or "Just don't let the kids go over there any more". Neither of which is helpful. Sorry for the venting, I'm just really frustrated. lol