A mother has turned to Reddit for advice after clashing with her in-laws over one issue: kissing her baby.
In her post, she explained that her 5-month-old son has been dealing with an eye infection for about two weeks.
“At first we thought it was pink eye,” she wrote, adding that the condition worsened less than 12 hours after completing a course of antibiotics.
Concerned, she and her husband brought their baby to an eye specialist, worried it might be Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) — a viral infection that can cause painful sores and blisters.
“My husband and I are not carriers of the virus, which is confirmed through bloodwork,” she explained. “The only other people who kiss my son — despite us repeatedly asking them not to — are my MIL and FIL.”
The doctor made their position clear: “Absolutely nobody other than my husband and I should be kissing our baby’s hands, feet, head, or face,” she recalled. “Perfect. Now there’s a medical professional saying it, so it should be respected, right?”
But instead of agreeing, her in-laws reacted defensively.
That same morning, they texted her: “It’s better not to bring him to my house again in case something happens to him, it was definitely us. Don’t worry, I won’t kiss him anymore. I’m sure that all the places they took the child and all the people who carried him are clean and healthy. The Publix carts are cleaner than us.”
Later, they followed up with another message, accusing the couple of being “disrespectful” and criticizing them for taking their baby out in public — while complaining that “grandma can’t give him a kiss because it will make him sick.”
The mom admitted she now feels torn. “I feel like a horrible person for protecting my baby,” she wrote.
Many Reddit users, however, rushed to support her. One commenter advised: “If they can’t respect that decision, they don’t get to see him, hold him, or ever have him alone.”
Another added: “They’re out of line and don’t deserve a response. You already have enough to worry about. They can see the baby when they learn to be adults who can be trusted with him.”
