Acting different...what do you think

My girls are with my mom when I work M-Th (I am very lucky and she does an amazing job). Well last week my parents went on vacation and so my MIL came down on Wed and Thurs (spent the night since I had a big work 2-day meeting with a dinner on Wed night), so I saw the girls on Wed morning and not again until Thurs evening. When my MIL left on Thurs Lauren refused to hug her and just kept running to me. Since then Lauren has been acting different, she has started hitting which they both haven't done for months and she is very clingy with me and even gets upset when my DH leaves and she never did that. She also had a total melt down this weekend which is totally out of character for her. My MIL does favor Sienna and always has...it is obvious and bothers me.

I don't know if she is just reacting to the disruption in the schedule or what...I don't really know how to ask my MIL if something happened because I know it will make her mad. I alrighty got into a fight with my DH when I mentioned it to him.

Any thoughts...anyone else notice changes in their kids when they spend time with certain people. Should I be concerned?

 

I would assume it's just the change of schedule, they missed you, etc. Has she even done anything that would concern you? If not, I wouldn't think that she *did* anything. Maybe she just yelled or put them in time out or something and that upset them? I hope they're back to their happy selves soon! When my ILs watched ours they didn't make them nap and fed them ice cream. Maybe it was the same thing

 

My guess is that it was just the change in routine. Whenever something similar happens in our house, I notice a change in behavior too. My parents and ILs do not follow the same schedule that we do and overindulge them at ever possible occasion. So that always makes for some cranky kids in the days that follow.

I would just let it go and not mention anything to your MIL.

 

She probably came in with HER rules and HER way of doing things which was probably totally different from you and your mom... So they are reacting from that. If they are not back to normal in a week or so, i would ask... You never know!

 

yeah i would just ask....i know what you mean though. my girls love my mom but dislike my mil but she is a nutcase so i dont blame them! ha!
hope all is well.

 

My kids are the same way - the run and cry for my MIL and love my Mom. all my MIL does is gives my older son nothing but junk - she loads him up on YaHoo and thinks it is funny when all he does is poop the next day - she doesn't care because she doesn't have to deal with it. She does this becasue she knows I do not approve of that drink. Your kids probably just sense that something was different and didn't like it.

It is a shame your MIL favors one over the other. We have the problem too however, my MIL favors her dog over my kids!!!

 

I almost always have to 'reprogram' them after someone else takes care of them. I think it is normal for their behavior change to some extent. It usually takes me a couple days to reign them back in as I call it.

 

I agree with everyone else that it's just normal behavior to a change in routine that they are sooo used to. Have you ever watched Jon and Kate Plus 8? (family with sextuplets and twins). She says it the best that when there's change, that's when your structured routined life bites you in the bottom! We just recently had our old nanny come back with us. Even though they remembered her and love her, Ella went crazy when I left for work (used to kiss me and say "bye") I think this is normal!

 

Whenever anyone else takes care of my kids i.e MIL or Mom it always takes a couple of days to undo all the non-sense they let the kids do. I bet it is just that.

 

Don't get me started with MIL's but if I were in your situation, I would not hesitate to ask my MIL if my kids were acting weird after she babysat. Actually, I would ask anyone, and I wouldn't care much if they got mad, they are my children and I am entitled to know what they are exposed to and have the responsibility to protect them.