Mom Stands Up for Her Introverted Daughter When the MIL Tries to Force Her to Stop Reading on Family Vacation

Author image for Jesse Kessenheimer
Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Oct 13, 2024 7:00 PM EDT

It's not every day that a parent stands up for their kid. 

Strangely, good parents who support their kiddo's interests, needs, and desires are hard to come by–especially when you're the 'creative type' in a family of Division 1 athletes. While the first-rate, sports-mongering cousins get together a rousing game of flag football at the family gathering, the quieter kids usually get thrown into the mix against their will, preferring to curl up with their favorite book and relax by the fire instead. But the lucky kid in this next story had parents who were extremely supportive of her love for books, harboring her creative, introverted tendencies instead of forcing her to socialize on the family vacation. 

…But if Grandma could have her way, there would be no book-reading by this poolside.

Keep scrolling to read a story of an old-fashioned MIL who tried to force a woman's kid to stop reading books on a family vacation. But this daring mom stood by her kid's side, standing up to the MIL trying to change her daughter's demure demeanor.

Advertisement
  • 01
    PACCENT
    via TimeImage via Canva

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    AITAH For Ignoring the Wishes of My MIL and Letting My Daughter Read on Family Vacation? Advice Needed 39F here. Wife and momma of three (10M, 8F, and 5F).
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 03
    My husband Joe is one of three boys. His parents have a vacation home in Hawaii and every year they invite the kids, in-laws, and grandkids for a week long family vacation. Some context is that Joe and his brothers
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 04
    were all competitive athletes and loved playing sports and games on family vacations. My in-laws encourage this with the grandkids (there are currently 7) and are always trying to get them to play sand soccer or football on the
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 05
    beach. My son and younger daughter love the games and also being in the water, but my middle daughter Julia is different. Julia is smart and creative, but she's also a sensitive and introverted little girl. She has
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 06
    friends at school, but isn't as eager to play with her male cousins because they don't have as much in common with her. Julia and her friends at school love playing pretend (they've created an entire imaginary world) and putting
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 07
    on shows (we now have her in theatre and ballet). My four nephews and other two kids aren't interested in these activities and enjoy running around and playing sports all day like Joe and his brothers did when they were kids.
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 08
    Julia, for whatever reason, just seems to have a different personality than the other kids in the family. My daughter is also a huge bookworm and is completely hooked on the Goosebumps
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 09
    series. When I say hooked, I mean that she spends almost all of her free time reading these books and begs me to take her to the bookstore to buy more frequently. She loves telling me about the
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 10
    books she's reading and has even started writing her own Goosebumps stories before bed. I personally am happy that my daughter loves to read and is so creative, and I try to encourage her to pursue these interests. She's definitely a bit "quirky"
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 11
    compared to my other two, but she's being herself and pursuing her own interests which I love. We got to the island on Thursday night and spent all day Friday and Saturday at
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 12
    the beach and are going to the pool today. Julia plays with her cousins at the house and talks to them at meals, but during the day, she just wants to sit next to me and read her books. I have encouraged her to swim for a
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 13
    little bit since we're in Hawaii, and she goes in the water for a few minutes, but then she asks if she can get back to her book. She's played a few games with her cousins and siblings when I coax her, but again, she honestly just wants
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 14
    to be reading Goosebumps. Overall, when we're at the beach, I'd say she spends 1/5 of the time playing and 4/5ths of the time reading. She would probably spend the whole time reading if I didn't encourage her to try other things for a little bit.
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 15
    My husband doesn't see an issue with Julia spending the days reading. He says we're on vacation and it's about her having fun. He says if she wants to read on the beach all day, it's her decision, and she's at least getting some
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 16
    sun, having a blast, and enriching her mind. I generally agree, although I do wish she'd swim a bit more since were in Hawaii and also spend more time with the other kids.
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 17
    This morning before breakfast, my MIL pulled my husband and I to the side and asked if we were going to let Julia bring her book to the pool today. My husband said yes and my MIL asked us to
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 18
    reconsider. She said the trip is about family and Julia creating memories with her siblings and cousins. I told my MIL that Julia is very introverted and that she bonds with the other kids at the house, during meals, and
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 19
    for a bit at the beach, but she doesn't need to be running around with them 24/7 to create happy memories. My MIL then accused us of spoiling Julia, encouraging her to be anti-social, and
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 20
    teaching her that her individual desires are more important than being part of the group. My MIL also says her obsession with Goosebumps is unhealthy, and that Julia isn't interested in talking about anything that
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 21
    isn't related to fictional stories and characters. She does talk about Goosebumps a lot, but my MIL is exaggerating a bit. This set off my husband, and he said that Julia has friends
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 22
    at school but has different interests than her cousins and siblings. He said he wants her to enjoy her vacation and if that means her reading all day, then he supports it as long as it's not
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 23
    impacting the rest of the group. The convo ended with me telling my MIL that Julia can bring her books to the pool and that I'm not going to force her to spend her trip doing things she's not interested in.
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 24
    My MIL and FIL have spent the entire breakfast scowling at me and my husband. At one point Julia started telling my MIL about her favorite Goosebumps book and my MIL said she isn't interested in hearing anything else about
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 25
    Goosebumps. She also said that Julia should talk about things that interest other people as well, and Julia started asking her Grandma about the books she liked and tennis. My husband told his
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 26
    mom not to parent his child in front of everyone, and it was very awkward. We're about to head to the pool and I'm letting Julia bring her books, but I'm not
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 27
    sure if I'm doing the right thing? I'm trying to find the balance between letting her enjoy the trip and also being part of the group? Any advice would be appreciated.
    via Green-Bee1043
  • 28
    GreatGollyGertie ⚫ 21h ago Forcing a child to be social when they aren't ready will not allow for the confidence it requires to become truly social. Villainizing a child for liking books is isolating and cruel, and straight up stupid. MIL needs to buzz off. NtA
    via GreatGollyGertie
  • 29
    Turmeric_Ping · 20h ago • Let her be herself. She's introverted, being 'part of the group' is a bit much for her, so she reads her book. Good to see your husband isn't a mommy's boy and is standing up for his child.
    via Turmeric_Ping

Tags

wholesome good mom reader reading kids interesting motherhood cute moms introverted good parenting introverted kid introvert in laws mother in law mil family daughter parent mom parents vacation
Scroll Down For The Next Article