Thursday, 3 August 2017

Religious overbearing grandmother


I have a preteen daughter. Her father and I are no longer together, but on good terms. He travels a lot for work and her grandparents (his parents) are a big part of her life to "fill the void". Neither I nor her father are religious at all. I guess I'd consider myself agnostic and him as well, for that matter. Her father has no relationship currently with his parents.Her grandmother is a "born again Christian" and ever since my child was a baby, she's been preached to. We used to fight about it, she would say she'd rather not see my daughter than stop "preaching the word of god". So I sucked it up and thought it'd be harmless, despite ladies coming into my home and speaking in tongues over a crib, a 2 year old putting her Barbie on a doorknob stating it's Jesus on the cross, etc. When she was about 4, the grandparents told her santa wasn't real and she should know where her gifts are really coming from. When she was 5, my daughter told me that me and her dad were going into the darkness while she walks into the light with her grandmother. Many other things like this over the years.Now my child is older, almost in middle school, and it's turning into views on politics, homosexuality... my daughter told her teacher she couldn't read Roald Dahl's book Witches because her grandmother doesn't like her to read about evil unchristian things like witches. She cried and threw a fit when I said she had to. She gets into arguments about homosexuality telling people they're "wrong". When someone makes a valid point, such as "the Bible says not to judge others", she says "I don't want to talk about it anymore"...surely a tactic taught by her grandmother. Nobody else around her shares these same views with her and she argues with everyone who disagrees.I feel like my child is being taught hate, fear and intolerance and it makes me sick to my stomach.I never tried instilling my own beliefs because I never had a chance. Her grandmother started at birth. I don't think a preteen should even be hearing about sexual preference yet. Or politics. Or be afraid to complete homework assignments. When any such topic comes up, she's already been groomed and is unopen to other views. She's never even had a chance to think for herself, it's been shoved down her throat for, literally, her entire life.I know the obvious thing to do is keep her away from the grandmother. At least limit the time. My husband thinks there's no reversing it. I'm not sure what else to do. She's a miniature version of her grandmother, and I feel like I've lost my child to brainwashing.I've also noticed that she comes home from the grandparents in an anxious state, that she says is from "thinking too much". She has asked me if I've ever wanted to die. She recently went to a week long camp wth other children and came back like a normal happy 10 year old child.I thought maybe someone here would have some good advice. via /r/Parenting http://ift.tt/2vtgXdB

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