A woman has been backed online after revealing in an alarming social media post that her sister-in-law demanded custody of her baby because she herself is infertile.
“I’ve been married to her brother for over 10 years and there’s always been some jealousy and resentment from her,” the 36-year-old woman wrote on Reddit. “She’s always felt like I had the life she wanted, not necessarily with her brother, but the marriage, family, and job stability. I have 3 kids.”
After trying for a baby for over a year, her 40-year-old sister-in-law learned that she was not able to have children naturally.
“She was understandably devastated and the family comforted her as best as we could,” the Redditor said.
At a recent family dinner, the woman’s sister-in-law told her that it’s unfair that she gets to raise three children while she can’t have any.
The Redditor recalled the heated conversation in the post that the woman shockingly had asked her if she could take semi-custody of one of her children.
She then told the Redditor that it was “my last chance to raise a child so I think that you should give [your youngest child] to me during the week so that I can create a motherly bond with her and you can have her on weekends.”
“Before I could respond the entire table erupted with everyone talking at once,” the poster wrote. “Her husband was asking what is wrong with her and why she would even think to ask that. She was trying to justify herself when I asked them to leave. I also said that she’s no longer welcome at my house or around my children until she gets help.
“She started screaming that I don’t deserve my life or my children and that I stole her baby from her,” the Redditor said.
Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Carole Lieberman told Newsweek that it seems like the Redditor’s sister-in-law would benefit from professional mental health support.
“There is no question that she needs psychiatric treatment, psychotherapy and possibly also medication. It is very sad that she can’t have children, but asking the woman to give her baby to her during the week so that she can create a motherly bond is a very twisted idea,” Lieberman said.
“Her temper tantrum at her for saying no to this has been a long time coming. Her jealousy over the Redditor, over the years, for the life and family she always wanted reached a boiling point.
“She needs to find another solution, other than borrowing the Redditor’s baby. She could adopt a baby or take in a foster child. Ideally, she shouldn’t be shamed for her longing for a baby and for experiencing her level of sadness, but, she does need to be kept away from your her sister-in-law’s family until she gets enough help to cope with her losses,” Lieberman said.
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What Do The Comments Say?
Since it was shared to the social media platform’s r/EntitledPeople subreddit on September 5 by u/Angel698, the post has been upvoted by 95 percent of the users who engaged with it and commented on over 1,200 times. Redditors were alarmed by the story and urged the poster to be cautious.
“Stay safe! At least the rest of the family recognize her craziness,” one user wrote.
Another user added: “Definitely don’t let her around the children anymore. She may even resort to kidnapping.”
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