I've been having a hard time with my in laws stepping on my toes when it comes to me parenting my own kids. They take the approach of guilt and shame discipline. Which I don't agree with, and every time my son crys or throws a fit they give him whatever will make him happy. Which I don't agree with either. Bad behavior shouldn't be rewarded like that. When I do things the way I want to parent they look at me like I'm a horible person because I let my son cry when he acts up instead of giving in. Sometimes they whisk him, and my daughter away to another room to create a diversion from the issue I'm trying to deal with. They talk over me and butt in when I wish they would just let me handle it. if I tell my son he can't have something, (like donuts and mountain dew at 8pm when I'm trying to get them settled down for bed) they wait til I leave or get busy with something else and sneak it to him behind my back. Its hard to get my son good food when they give him junk food every time I turn around.

How do I tell them politely to stop and let me handle it? Stop stepping on my toes when I'm trying to parent my own kids? And stop going behind my back undermining my authority as their mother? The last thing I need right now is another family fight but keeping my mouth shut on this topic to keep the peace is not doing my kids any justice when they are getting two very different reactions to their behaviors and I'm looking like the bad guy.

I can't wait til we can live on our own again...