.........Well, it has happened. I've unwillingly hurt my Father-in-laws feelings. I've also realized a new challenge in pregnancy. Here's the deal:
He came over last night to bring Cylie to spend the night and announced proudly that he had purchased us a car seat for our baby at a garage sale for $3.50 and then announced the brand (I won't say which in case some of you use it) proudly. I stated, 'That's not a good brand.' I immediately felt badly.
Now, we would never consider putting our child in a garage sale car seat purchased for $3.50 anyway. Not that we are too good for garage sale purchases; I'm sure there are treasures to be found, but a car seat should be purchased new or you should at least know who it came from for safety reasons. Anyway, I could have responded to and focused on his action of actually thinking of us and buying something rather than on the item purchased.
I have to work on this; any advice?
3 comments:
I guess honesty should work best. Just tell him again you really appreciate his great find and that you can use it for the baby to hang out in around the house or something.
But, in the advancement of car seats and the safety concerns of today, to best protect the baby, you need a never-been-used car seat from the right brand. I don't think he'll be offended when you explain it is about your child's safety, not your personal preference.
I completely agree with you. DP and I have decided that their are certain items that we will not even consider second-hand. If your FIL knows you well, he probably knows your comment wasn't intended to hurt his feelings but before either of you end up feeling worse about it maybe you should just call him and tell him that while you truly appreciate his thoughtfulness, you've actually been doing alot of safety research on carseats and you're already leaning towards a specific brand, but that if he spots things like clothes, bibs, gently used toys, etc at garage sales, then you'd be extremely grateful! I'm sure he won't harbor a grudge.
I don't think he'll be offended if you go back and explain. I know its hard with parents sometimes
Post a Comment