Guusje isn’t allowed sweets: ‘what a load of nonsense’
Martine loves looking after her granddaughter Guusje. She has the little girl over one day a week. It was always a great occasion, but recently everything has changed…
‘I’m exhausted by the time I close the front door behind me. After a day of looking after my granddaughter, for the first time I’m glad she’s going home. Strangely enough, I’m increasingly plagued by the feeling that I don’t actually feel like doing it anymore.
List of things
It has nothing to do with my granddaughter, mind you; I adore Guusje. When my son and daughter-in-law asked whether I would babysit, I felt very honoured that they had asked me. Of course I had really hoped they would ask me, because I absolutely didn’t want to impose. The first few times Guusje spent the whole day with me, I found it quite exciting. My daughter-in-law had made a list of things I had to keep an eye on: what time she had to sleep, how much she had to drink. That was very easy at the time, because all I had to do was give her the bottle. But now that Guusje is a little older, it’s becoming increasingly complicated.
No ‘wrong things’
My daughter-in-law is very particular about what Guusje is and isn’t allowed to eat. Preferably everything organic and pure. So whenever I prepare food for Guusje, I always have to make sure I don’t give her any ‘wrong things’. My daughter-in-law absolutely doesn’t allow Guusje to have lemonade, biscuits or sweets either. Sometimes I got a little tired of it, those very strict rules about food and drink. The child is only three. How bad can one sweet really be? What on earth is my daughter-in-law so worried about, I would think.
A little soft pink sweet
And that’s where things went wrong. Because I did give Guusje a sweet. One. A little soft pink sweet after her afternoon sandwich. Once she had eaten her bread and a piece of fruit. Surely I’m allowed to spoil her a little? I already have to be so strict because of the eating rules imposed by her mother. And I didn’t feel I was doing anything wrong by doing so.
Clear rules
When my daughter-in-law came to pick up Guusje recently, she saw the bag of sweets lying on the kitchen counter. She looked at me irritably and asked sharply whether I had been giving Guusje sweets. I felt caught and had no choice but to admit that she did indeed get a sweet from me. My daughter-in-law became furious. Did I know what kind of poison I was giving my granddaughter? Hadn’t she given me clear rules about what Guusje was and wasn’t allowed to eat? And what I found worst of all was that my daughter-in-law said this made her doubt whether she could trust me with her child.
I didn’t know what I was hearing. She didn’t trust me with Guusje? As if I had hit my granddaughter! That evening my son called. He also asked me, resignedly, not to give Guusje sweets. ‘That’s just how she wants it for now, Mum,’ he added softly. From his voice I could clearly tell that he didn’t really know what to do about the situation either.
Daycare
That remark from my daughter-in-law has put a serious dent in my enjoyment. Although I love looking after Guusje, the shine has gone out of it for me. If my daughter-in-law doesn’t trust me, she should take Guusje to daycare instead.’
Martine’s name has been changed for privacy reasons. Her real name is known to the editorial team. Would you also like to share a personal story (anonymously!)? You can email us at info@favorflav.com
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Source: Franska
