Despite being called a babysitter, my mother-in-law secretly took all my baby’s diapers and milk every day to give to my brother’s child, saying that his family was poor…

I had just given birth to my first child 3 months ago, my health was still weak, and my husband – Ramon – was often away on business trips. My mother-in-law, Mrs. Aling Teresa, volunteered from Batangas province to Quezon City to “help babysit”. I was so happy that I cried, thinking that she loved her grandchild and her daughter-in-law.

At first, everything was fine. In the morning, I went to work, she stayed home to take care of Miguel. In the afternoon, I still saw her attentively feeding and rocking the baby to sleep. I always left enough diapers and milk, and even stocked up the refrigerator with breast milk.

However, after only a week, I began to notice something strange: the newly bought powdered milk was running out unusually quickly, and the diapers were all gone even though I had just opened the package.

When I asked, she just replied:
— “He pees a lot, his stomach is weak, so he has to change diapers constantly and drink a lot of milk.”

I was half-believing. Until one day, I came home earlier than usual. As soon as I entered the door, I saw her hurriedly putting a large bag of diapers into the trunk of her motorbike. There were two almost full boxes of formula milk on the motorbike. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

I quietly watched. It turned out that every day, she took advantage of the time I went to work to collect diapers and milk and bring them to my husband’s house – Ramon’s brother – in Caloocan, just two streets away. They also had a small child, but their circumstances were more difficult: his wife was unemployed, and their newly built house was still in debt to the bank.

That night, I couldn’t hold it in any longer:
— “Mom, if you love your grandchild, love him completely. My eldest brother’s family is poor, so they have to take care of their own child. A newborn child, going to work early, staying up all night to express milk, not to feed someone else’s child!”

My mother-in-law glared at me:
— “They are all apo in the family, what’s the difference? Ramon’s family is suffering, if I don’t help, who will? You’re so selfish!”

I choked up:
— “If your daughter gave birth to a child and all the baby supplies were taken away from someone else, would you be able to bear it? I’m asking you seriously, are you here to help me, or to add to my burden?”

The conflict reached its peak when I discovered that Miguel had severe diaper rash, crying all over because he had to wear cheap diapers from the Divisoria market – something I had never bought. I looked at him, both pitying and angry. You gave good diapers to other children, but your own grandchild suffered?

I decided to firmly invite my mother-in-law back to Batangas. She scolded me for being ungrateful and unreasonable. I only replied with one sentence:
— “If helping my child causes him to suffer, then I’ll excuse myself.”

From then on, I went to work and hired a yaya to look after Miguel. It’s hard, but at least I know that every drop of milk, every diaper my child uses deserves to belong to him. And I swear, my child will not grow up in such a distorted “sharing”.

When the Community Speaks, the Truth Is Revealed

After the day I decided to let my mother-in-law, Mrs. Aling Teresa, return to Batangas, my heart was still heavy. No matter how angry I was, I did not want my family affairs to be exposed. However, she herself called relatives and cried that I was “ungrateful, heartless, and kicked her out of the house.”

The news quickly spread in the family chat group, then a cousin posted an insinuation on Facebook: “Nowadays, daughters-in-law in Manila are unreasonable, mothers-in-law help with all their heart but are still looked down upon.”

I did not expect that the status line would stir up the online community. In the comments section, hundreds of people joined in the debate. But instead of sympathizing with her, most people sided with me.

A woman in Cebu wrote:
— “This mother-in-law is wrong. She loves all her grandchildren, but her daughter-in-law just gave birth, went to work early, and is in poor health… and all her children’s things were taken away. Her own father should be given priority.”

An elderly man in Davao commented harshly:
— “It’s good to help the eldest brother, but you can’t take other children’s things. Children are innocent, so why let your grandchildren suffer? If it were my daughter, I wouldn’t be able to stand it either.”

Many other mothers shared similar stories, all of whom were outraged:
— “Diapers and milk aren’t cheap! Each box of formula costs thousands of pesos. A young mother alone has to pump milk day and night, and it’s given to another family. Who can stand it?”

After just a few hours, the story exploded. People called me “Nanay Fighter” (Fighting Mother) – daring to stand up for my child’s rights, even if it means conflict with my husband’s family.

Meanwhile, Aling Teresa was criticized by her own relatives. Her cousins ​​who once defended her now had to admit:
— “Teresa, it’s good that you love your children and grandchildren, but doing so is unfair. Ramon’s Apo is also blood related, why did you let him suffer?”

Some relatives even said bluntly:
— “Instead of stealing your daughter-in-law’s diapers and milk, why didn’t you advise your eldest son to work extra to help his wife? Anyone who is poor needs to overcome difficulties, not wait for others to support them.”

Being pressured, Teresa remained silent and did not respond. The reproachful calls from her own siblings forced her to admit her mistakes. But instead of apologizing, she just avoided me and stopped texting me.

As for me, when I read thousands of supportive comments from the community, I was both moved and felt stronger. I knew I was not wrong to protect my child. I also realized that being a mother is not just about feeding and clothing your child, but also about daring to stand up when your child’s rights are violated – even by family members.

That night, I held Miguel in my arms and whispered:

“Don’t worry, mama will never let anyone take away what you deserve.”

And I understood that this was not just a family argument, but also a profound lesson in how to raise children: Love must be fair, help must be in the right place, and absolutely do not let innocent children suffer.