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My Mother-in-Law HIT My Baby... Then Tried to BLAME Me | True Story
I was exhausted, just trying to survive motherhood — until my worst nightmare became real. One night, my mother-in-law hit my 3-month-old daughter. What followed was a storm of betrayal, heartbreak, and courage.
In this true story, I share how I fought back, with the help of my husband and sister-in-law, to protect my baby from a woman we once trusted.
If you're dealing with toxic family dynamics, you're not alone.
👶🏽 Trigger Warning: Child abuse, verbal abuse
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#TrueStory #ToxicFamily #MotherInLawDrama #ProtectYourChild #RealLifeDrama #Storytime #FamilyAbuse #ParentalLeave #JusticeForNia
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0:00
I was bone tired. The kind of exhaustion
0:02
that seeps into your bones and pulls you
0:04
under the moment you close your eyes. I
0:08
just put my daughter Nia down for the
0:10
night and my own bed called to me with a
0:13
siren song. I didn't even make it to my
0:16
pillow before I was out. A few hours
0:19
later, a sudden piercing whale shattered
0:22
the silence. It was Nia. I groggy
0:25
checked my phone. One yod.
0:28
I figured a short nap was better than
0:30
nothing, so I dragged myself out of bed
0:32
and started toward the living room to
0:34
comfort her. Just then, a voice, sharp
0:37
and furious, cut through the house.
0:39
"Shut up! Be quiet!" I froze,
0:43
disoriented. "I thought it might be my
0:45
mother-in-law, Haimey, yelling from her
0:47
room." "I'm coming to her now," I called
0:50
out and pushed open the living room
0:51
door. What I saw next made my blood run
0:54
cold. There was Haime standing over the
0:57
crib. Her face twisted into a snarl. She
0:59
was glaring down at Nia.
1:02
Before I could even process what was
1:04
happening, Haime's hand lashed out and
1:06
smacked my baby across the face. "Enough
1:09
already!" she shrieked. A primal roar
1:12
erupted from me. "What are you doing?" I
1:16
screamed, a sound I'd never heard come
1:18
from my own throat before. Haimey,
1:20
momentarily stunned, snapped back. "Why
1:22
didn't you sooth her sooner? This child
1:24
is so noisy.
1:26
In a blind panic, I rushed to the crib,
1:29
scooping Nia into my arms. I held her
1:32
close, a shield between her and the
1:34
woman who had just hit her. The thought
1:36
was unthinkable, hitting a baby, a
1:40
helpless 3-month-old baby, my precious
1:43
daughter. My name is Candiff, and I'm 28
1:45
years old. I used to work in an office,
1:48
but I'm on maternity leave now, focused
1:50
entirely on raising Nia and taking care
1:52
of the house.
1:54
My husband Miles and I moved in with
1:56
Haimey about a year ago. Miles's job is
1:59
demanding. He's a wonderful man, but
2:01
he's almost never home. When I was
2:04
pregnant, he was worried about me being
2:06
alone. He also felt for his mom, who'd
2:09
been on her own since my father-in-law,
2:11
Willis, passed away 2 years prior.
2:14
It seemed like the right thing to do. At
2:17
first, living together was okay. But it
2:19
didn't take long for Haime's true nature
2:21
to surface.
2:23
The subtle digs started first.
2:26
Candy, you're really slow at housework,
2:28
aren't you? And can't you make better
2:30
food? Before Willis died, I had no
2:33
problems with her during our visits. I
2:36
didn't dislike her, but as soon as we
2:38
lived under the same roof, she became a
2:40
different person. Selfish, rude, and
2:43
constantly looking for a reason to
2:45
criticize me. Hurry up with the
2:47
housework. You're useless, you know,
2:49
slow and ugly. The insults were
2:52
constant. The last one had nothing to do
2:54
with my chores. It was just plain cruel.
2:58
My pregnancy had slowed me down, and
2:59
that was normal. But Haimey didn't care.
3:02
It was as if her only goal was to harass
3:05
me. Miles, when he was home, would
3:07
admonish her, and knowing he was on my
3:10
side, was the only thing that kept me
3:11
sane. He'd apologize to me over
3:14
WhatsApp. I'm so sorry. I wish I could
3:17
be there to help you through this. His
3:20
support was my lifeline.
3:22
I held on to the hope that things would
3:24
change once Nia was born. I truly
3:27
believed that even a difficult woman
3:28
like Haimey would soften when she held
3:30
her own grandchild.
3:32
But that hope was a fragile thing. When
3:35
I sent her a message on WhatsApp telling
3:37
her our healthy baby girl had been born,
3:40
she didn't reply. She didn't visit us at
3:42
the hospital.
3:44
A cold dread settled in my stomach. Was
3:47
she truly not interested? Would the
3:49
harassment continue? Then my
3:52
sister-in-law Leela burst into the room.
3:54
Leela is the opposite of Haimey, kind,
3:56
cheerful, and always good to me. She was
3:59
a breath of fresh air. She's a mother
4:01
herself, and I knew I could confide in
4:03
her. Oh, what a cute baby, Leela said.
4:07
What's her name? Nia, I said. Wait,
4:10
hasn't mom come to visit? I shook my
4:13
head. No, I messaged her, but she
4:15
ignored it. Leela sighed. figures. She's
4:19
a pain sometimes, isn't she?
4:21
Unpredictable and totally lacking common
4:23
sense. Leela's honesty was always
4:26
something I appreciated. She had told me
4:28
before, "If you ever have a problem
4:30
living with mom, feel free to vent to
4:32
me."
4:34
I had taken her up on that offer many
4:36
times, and just being able to talk about
4:38
it with someone who understood was a
4:40
huge relief. She knew that if she
4:42
confronted Haimey, my mother-in-law
4:45
would just take her anger out on me. But
4:47
the situation was about to get much
4:49
worse. When I brought Nia home from the
4:51
hospital, Haimey acted as if she wasn't
4:53
even there. "Hurry up and clean," she
4:56
said, completely ignoring her own
4:58
granddaughter. I put Nia in her crib and
5:01
started to clean, my heart heavy. A few
5:04
minutes later, Haime's voice rang out
5:06
again. "Candy, come here." "Yes, that
5:10
baby is noisy. Do something about her
5:13
crying." I was stunned. that baby. It
5:18
was a cruel way to refer to her own
5:19
granddaughter. Haimey continued to treat
5:22
Nia as a nuisance. Every time Nia cried,
5:25
Haimey would get angrier. "She stinks.
5:28
Change her diaper or the crib is in the
5:30
way." Or just a simple, "Shut up, baby.
5:34
Her name is Nia." Haimey, please call
5:36
her by her name, I pleaded. Shut up.
5:39
Don't tell me what to do. She's your
5:41
responsibility. Make sure I'm
5:43
comfortable. The pressure was
5:44
unbearable.
5:46
If I focused on Nia, Haimey would yell
5:48
at me for being slow with chores. If I
5:51
focused on chores, she'd scold me for
5:53
neglecting Nia. The day Miles left for a
5:56
two-month business trip was a new level
5:58
of hell. I couldn't reach him. He was
6:01
too busy. I felt guilty for trying to
6:04
bother him, even though I was at my
6:06
breaking point. Then that day happened.
6:10
The day I found her, her hand raised,
6:12
bringing it down on my baby's face.
6:15
In the aftermath, I called an ambulance,
6:18
still holding Nia, her face bright red
6:20
from the slap. At the hospital, the
6:23
doctor examined her and told me she was
6:25
okay with no lasting injuries. I nearly
6:28
collapsed in relief. The doctor asked me
6:31
what happened, and I was just trying to
6:33
explain when Leela rushed into the room.
6:36
I'd called her in a panic from the
6:38
ambulance.
6:39
She listened as I explained, then turned
6:41
to the doctor, her voice shaking with
6:43
rage, and told him what Haimey had done.
6:46
The doctor was speechless. The next day,
6:48
Leela came home with me. I let her go
6:51
inside first. Haimey, of course, was
6:54
acting like nothing had happened. You're
6:56
late. Hurry up and make breakfast.
6:59
Leela's voice was like a whip. Enough.
7:02
Did you forget what happened yesterday?
7:04
You hit a 3-month old baby. Apologize.
7:07
Haime's face flushed. Apologize. That
7:11
child was noisy. It was discipline. That
7:14
wasn't discipline. It was violence. I
7:16
said, "Lela, please come in." I said.
7:19
Leela walked into the living room, her
7:21
face set. Haimey, seeing her daughter,
7:23
stammered. "What are you doing here?"
7:25
Leela. "Mom, do you realize what you did
7:29
is legally punishable?" Leela said.
7:31
Haime's face went pale. Leela, you're
7:35
not going to sue your own mother. I'm
7:37
not, but Candiff is I'll just be her
7:39
lawyer. It was just a part of her
7:42
education, Haimey whimpered. Hitting a
7:45
baby is not education, Leela said. It's
7:48
assault. We're suing you. Be prepared.
7:51
Haime started to cry, her body shaking
7:53
with sobs.
7:55
I'm sorry, Candy. I get so angry. I've
7:58
always been depressed and regretful
7:59
about how I treated you and Nia. I'm so
8:02
sorry. I always wanted a boy for Willis.
8:05
a boy to carry on the family name. When
8:08
a girl was born, I felt like I failed
8:10
him. I couldn't control myself. She kept
8:14
apologizing, begging me to change her,
8:16
promising she would do anything. My
8:19
resolve started to waver. Then Leela
8:22
spoke. Don't take her seriously, Candy.
8:24
Mom always does this when she's
8:26
cornered. It's an act to make people
8:28
feel sorry for her. I looked at Haimey.
8:31
Her tears, which had been gushing a
8:33
moment ago, were suddenly gone. "Lela
8:36
was right. It was a performance."
8:39
"Shimei, I can't forgive you anymore," I
8:42
said, my voice steady. "You're so
8:45
twisted to try and weasle your way out
8:47
of this. I'm not trying to escape,"
8:50
Jimei blustered. "It's too late," I
8:53
said. "We've already decided to take
8:55
legal action." Suddenly, the front door
8:57
opened. Miles was home. He'd been
9:00
driving all night after I'd messaged
9:02
him. "Candy, is Nia safe?" he asked,
9:05
seeing the scene. "Miles, what are you
9:08
doing here? I thought you were on a
9:10
business trip," I said. Miles's face was
9:13
filled with fury. "Mom, enough. I've
9:16
warned you countless times about
9:17
harassing Candy, and now you've hit my
9:19
precious daughter. I will never forgive
9:21
you for this." "Miles, how can you blame
9:24
me after I raised you and Leela?" Haimey
9:27
cried. You didn't raise us, Mom. Leela
9:31
said, "You were always leaving us with
9:33
our aunt. Our memories are filled with
9:35
her cooking, not yours." "The doctor has
9:38
probably already reported it," Miles
9:40
added. "The police will be here soon."
9:43
"You're okay with your own mother being
9:45
arrested?" Haimey wailed. "I'd rather
9:48
not have someone who hits a 3-month-old
9:50
baby around my family," Miles said. "No
9:53
matter what you say, Mom, you have no
9:55
one on your side." Now, Raimei finally
9:57
seemed to grasp the reality of her
9:59
situation. She sat slumped in a chair,
10:02
silent and pale.
10:04
Soon, the police arrived and took her
10:06
away. She received a suspended sentence
10:09
as a firsttime offender, but Miles and
10:11
Leela cut all ties with her and issued
10:13
restraining orders. Miles moved us out
10:16
immediately. He rented a temporary
10:18
apartment while we looked for a new
10:20
home, and we stayed with Leela and her
10:22
family for a while, which was an
10:24
enormous help.
10:26
Candy, I'm so sorry for everything,
10:28
Miles said one day. I'm taking parental
10:30
leave. If I can't get it, I'll change
10:32
departments or even jobs. You're and
10:35
Nia's safety is all that matters. It was
10:38
the most beautiful thing he could have
10:39
said. He ended up resigning from his
10:42
job, which had a toxic work environment,
10:44
and found a new one. Now he's home on
10:47
time every day, helping with Nia and the
10:49
housework. We live in a new apartment
10:51
close to Leela and we often get together
10:54
for meals and barbecues. I don't know
10:56
what became of Haimey and I don't care.
10:59
Neighbors said that after her arrest,
11:01
she became completely isolated and never
11:03
leaves her house. Her pride was probably
11:06
too wounded to bear the shame. But it
11:09
doesn't matter to us. She doesn't know
11:11
where we live and we have no intention
11:13
of ever seeing her again. Our family is
11:16
strong now and we'll face the future
11:18
together with Miles, Nia, and Leela by
11:21
our