My In-laws Called Me Paranoid Until My Sil Almost Let My Baby Fall Out Of A Second-story Window. Now They’re Threatening To Sue Me For Cutting Her Off. What Do I Do?

Changing Routines

The next morning we sat at the kitchen table with Lily sleeping in her bassinet between us. Keith said we needed to change our routine so Bridget couldn’t predict where we’d be. I made a list on a notepad: we’d shop at the grocery store across town instead of our usual one, we’d go to the park in a different neighborhood, we’d vary what time we left the house each day, we’d only tell my best friend and my mom our actual plans.

Keith added that we should use different routes when we drove places and park in different spots. It felt extreme like we were hiding from a stalker, but that’s basically what Bridget had become. We were hiding from his own sister because she’d shown up everywhere we went watching us from a distance with that blank expression on her face. Keith reached across the table and squeezed my hand. He said he was sorry it had come to this but Lily’s safety was more important than feeling normal.

We tested our new system that week. Keith drove us to a grocery store 20 minutes away that we’d never been to before. I kept looking over my shoulder the whole time we shopped expecting to see Bridget appear at the end of an aisle. She didn’t show up. We went to a park on the other side of town and I actually relaxed enough to push Lily on the baby swings. No Bridget watching from a bench. We drove home using a longer route that took us through neighborhoods we didn’t normally pass through. I started breathing easier. Maybe the unpredictability was working. Maybe she couldn’t find us if she didn’t know where we’d be.

On Thursday afternoon Garrett called and said he’d received a strange request. Bridget’s therapist had contacted him asking if we’d participate in a joint family therapy session to work toward reconciliation. The therapist said Bridget was making progress in dealing with her infertility grief and wanted to repair the relationship with us.

Garrett’s voice got serious when he told me his advice. He said we had absolutely no obligation to participate in Bridget’s therapy. He said these joint sessions could be used to manipulate us into dropping our boundaries. He said therapists sometimes pushed for reconciliation without fully understanding the danger involved. He told me to decline the request and not feel guilty about it. I thanked him and hung up.

When Keith got home from picking up takeout I told him about the call. He looked tired and sad but he agreed with Garrett. We weren’t going to help Bridget feel better about what she’d done. We were protecting our daughter not managing his sister’s emotions.

Unexpected Support

The next week Keith’s phone started blowing up with messages from extended family. His cousin sent a long text calling us vindictive and saying we were punishing Bridget for something that wasn’t entirely her fault. His uncle left a voicemail saying we needed to be more forgiving. Keith’s phone buzzed constantly with opinions from relatives who hadn’t even been there for any of the incidents.

But then Keith’s aunt called, the one who’d always been quiet at family gatherings. She said she wanted to talk to both of us so Keith put her on speaker. His aunt said she’d watched Bridget’s behavior with Lily from the beginning and it had made her uncomfortable. She said Bridget’s obsession with being Lily’s second mother had seemed unhealthy even before the dangerous incidents. She said she supported our decision completely and thought we were doing the right thing by protecting our daughter. She apologized for not speaking up sooner when she’d noticed something was off. After we hung up I cried with relief. At least one person in Keith’s family understood. At least we weren’t completely alone in this.

3 months passed. The constant vigilance became our new normal. We kept varying our routines and Bridget stopped appearing in public places. Maybe she’d given up or maybe our unpredictability actually worked. Lily had her four-month checkup on a Tuesday morning. The pediatrician came in and immediately commented on how different I seemed. She said I looked more relaxed and less anxious than at previous appointments. I explained that we’d cut off contact with the family member who’d been causing the dangerous situations. The doctor nodded and said she could see the positive difference in both Lily and me. She said Lily seemed calmer too, picking up on my reduced stress levels. She checked Lily thoroughly and said she was developing perfectly.

As we left the office I realized the doctor was right. I did feel different. The constant panic attacks had faded. I could take Lily places without my chest getting tight. I still looked over my shoulder but I wasn’t consumed by fear anymore.