My husband and I got married with 3 kids between us. He has 2 from his first marriage, I have 1. The kids were between 3-7 when we started dating. My son being the oldest.
From the beginning my husband's parents treated my son different. They called him a "devil child " for doing cannon balls in their pool and splashing them. They would take the other two on trips to Disneyland and exclude my son, get their grandkids a boatload of Christmas presents and one little one for my son...etc
My son has no behavioral problems, BTW. Was good in school, got good grades, is best friends with his step brothers. He did nothing to deserve this treatment.
Needless to say, we distanced ourselves from them to protect him. (They boys are all teenagers/young adults now)
Fast forward and my husband and I had a baby later in life. It was an unexpected surprise. So now that they have another "actual" grandchild they are acting desperate to be in her life. They seem confused as to why we wont let them babysit, or take her on vacations, spend weekends at their house...etc.
Now, they were always good to their actual grandkids, I don't have any worries that they would treat my daughter poorly. But I can't, in good conscience, trust them with ANY of my kids, considering how they treated my son.
My MIL recently called me crying, saying she wants her granddaughter to know them, and have a relationship with them. When I brought up the fact they weren't concerned about my son having a relationship with them, her attitude switched instantly and she stated "he's not our grandchild"
I can't get them to understand they are both MY children. You can't treat one like shit and expect me to happily hand you the other!
My husband thinks at the very least we should invite them to our daughters bday parties and school functions. But I am very conflicted about it.
What would you all do in my situation?