Against his wife’s wishes, Tom invited his mother to the house to meet his newborn granddaughter.
Tom’s mother, Eleanor, is a nightmare when it comes to communication. She never respects anyone’s boundaries. She never liked Tom’s wife, not for any particular reason, but simply because she married Tom and couldn’t stand seeing him pull away from her. Three weeks ago, Poppy gave birth to a little girl.
Eleanor insisted on being present in the delivery suite, but Poppy wanted Tom to be the only man there. So while Poppy was in labour, Eleanor idled in the hospital lobby, shouting down the entire ward that she deserved to witness the birth of her grandchild.
Whenever Eleanor stepped into their home, she clung to every object and berated Poppy for being a bad housewife. She even claimed that Poppy would make a terrible mother.
Those accusations snapped Poppy’s temper. She gave Tom an ultimatum: Eleanor would never set foot in their house again. Tom understood; no one wants to be humiliated in their own home.
When they finally brought the baby home, the grandparents wanted to meet her. Poppy said Eleanor could visit once, but only if she kept quiet. Eleanor promised to honor the request, yet the moment she crossed the threshold a barrage of insults flew out:
Its filthy in here. If you want to live like this, keep it that way. But as a courtesy to me, you could at least tidy up.
Poppy lost control and told her mother-inlaw she was no longer welcome; the infant could be seen only if they allowed it.
Almost two weeks have passed. The inlaws have seen the baby, as has Toms father, Arthur, but Eleanor still hasn’t turned up and Poppy refuses to see her. They keep the baby inside because the weather outside is grim.
Two days ago Poppy had a doctor’s appointment and Tom stayed home with their daughter, Lily. He used the chance to invite Eleanor over to see the baby. She arrived, and Tom warned her they had only two hours before Poppy would return. Eleanor refused to leave, no matter how hard Tom tried to persuade her.
Poppy walked in, found Eleanor cuddling Lily, and suffered a complete nervous breakdownshe screamed at both of them, demanding Eleanor leave the house at once.
In the heat of the moment Tom told Poppy to shut up and settle down, because it was his house, his baby, and if he wanted his mother to see her, Poppy could not forbid it or throw her out.
Poppy eventually forced Eleanor and Tom out. She wont speak to either of them. Tom has moved back in with his parents. He hopes Poppy will calm down soon.
