450: Handling Grandparents and In Laws: Tips for Healthy Boundaries
Wire Talk with Karen Stubbs
Karen Stubbs
4.9 • 936 Ratings
🗓️ 21 January 2025
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Navigating relationships with in-laws and grandparents can be tricky, especially when it comes to setting boundaries for the safety and well-being of your kids. Today Karen tackles your questions about managing challenging family dynamics with wisdom, grace, and confidence. Whether you're dealing with safety concerns, feeling smothered, or struggling with differing parenting approaches, this conversation is packed with practical advice to help you protect your family while fostering peace.
Episode Recap:
2:10 - Check out our new podcast set up on YouTube
4:35 - How do I graciously handle having two sets of hyper-involved grandparents?
9:15- How do I handle my mother-in-law’s disrespect in a kind but firm way?
12:45- My mom hovers and overprotects my kids - what should I do?
16:45 - My in-laws have repeatedly shown they do not respect my boundaries, is there anything I can do?
Scripture for Reflection: James 1:5 (NIV)
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
Questions for Discussion:
- Have you ever had to set boundaries with family members? What was the outcome, and how did you approach it with kindness and firmness?
- What role should prayer play in preparing for difficult conversations about boundaries?
- In what ways can we shift our focus from trying to please everyone to focusing on our responsibilities as moms?
- What practical steps can you take this week to ensure your nuclear family has time to bond without extended family involvement?
Resources:
- Register for SOAR 2025 in the BOAW Moms app today [App Store] [Google Play]
- Grab a copy of Karen’s devotional: Moments with God for Moms
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | My husband and I have been married for 14 years. We have two young boys, six and four. |
| 0:04.4 | There have been multiple challenging situations when it comes to his parents watching our kids. |
| 0:09.5 | For example, they have a swimming pool directly off their back porch and took it personally |
| 0:14.2 | that we asked them to put up a gate for them to lock the door when the boys are over. |
| 0:19.3 | One night we let our oldest stay the night and after they told us they would keep the gate |
| 0:23.9 | up that we purchased in a symbol to match their back porch decking. |
| 0:28.2 | We went over the next day to pick him up and the gates were down. |
| 0:31.1 | This mom's hesitation not to have her child spend the night, because if nobody's going to be |
| 0:35.6 | really watching the children, that would |
| 0:37.7 | make me nervous as well. This is not being overprotective. This is a safety issue. And I think |
| 0:43.9 | this mom is 100% in the right to protect her children in this way. Welcome to Wire Talk, where we |
| 0:52.5 | encourage and equip moms by answering practical questions about |
| 0:56.1 | motherhood. We want to help instill God's truth in your heart so you can experience more joy |
| 1:00.7 | and peace on your journey of motherhood. Are you ready for some truth? Let's dive in. |
| 1:08.0 | Hello, everybody, and welcome to Wiretalk. I'm your host, Emily, and I'm so glad you're here with us today. |
| 1:13.2 | And with me is one and only Karen Stubbs. |
| 1:16.2 | Hi, how are you? |
| 1:17.9 | Good. |
| 1:18.3 | Sometimes I feel like it should be like a n-da-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l. |
| 1:20.6 | Oh, for me? |
| 1:22.1 | Yeah, like in introducing is Karen Stubbs. You know, it's so funny. I don't feel that way at all. |
| 1:29.0 | I know. |
... |
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