Off The Record
When I Got Home From Giving Birth, My Baby’s Room Had Been Destroyed And Painted Black
As soon as I entered my newborn daughter’s room, the happiness I had felt upon bringing her home vanished. Her gorgeous pink nursery was completely demolished, with the cot broken, the walls painted black, and all of the toys missing. But what broke me the most was my mother-in-law’s callous reasoning.
As I held my newborn daughter Amelia in my arms, the hospital room was filled with the quiet beep of monitors. Her little fingers closed over mine, and her flawless features amazed me. Button nose, those little feet. She was flawless! Although the C-section had been difficult, it had all been worthwhile to hold her.
My husband Tim said, “She’s beautiful, Rosie,” his tears gleaming in his eyes.
Too nervous to talk, I nodded. Finally, after months of waiting, our beautiful child arrived. I imagined her nursery at home, complete with a white cot, walls painted a soft pink, and an amazing collection of stuffed animals arranged in the shape of a small army.
Everything was flawless.
An unexpected knock on the door cut off our conversation at that point. Janet, Tim’s mother, hurried in without waiting for a request.
She called out, “Let me see my grandbaby!” and reached for Amelia.
Janet’s smile vanished completely and was replaced with a horrified one as I grudgingly gave her over. Her gaze flickered from Amelia to Tim and back again to the infant.
She repeated this a few times before clearing her throat and staring directly into my eyes as like she wanted to eat me.
I was allowed to bask in his mother’s scrutiny while Tim left the ward to take an urgent phone call.
“There’s absolutely no way that this is Tim’s child,” she uttered, her tone loaded with suspicion. “What did you do, Rosie?”
I had a slap-like feeling. My mouth dropped wide, and I was out of breath for a while.
“How could you say that, Janet? Amelia is Tim’s baby, of course. I would never—”
Janet snapped, “Don’t lie to me,” and pushed Amelia back into my arms. “I am aware of what I observe. Rosie, this isn’t over yet. Not in the slightest.”
Janet turned on her heel and walked out of the room before I could reply, leaving me holding Amelia and feeling tears sting my eyes. I gazed over my daughter’s flawless face, her complexion a stunning shade of deep brown.
The problem is that Amelia, our baby, had gorgeous dark skin from birth. Indeed, it was unexpected at first because Tim and I are both Caucasian. But angry? Not even near.
Her perfection left us speechless. Once the first shock subsided, we realized that genetics may be unpredictable. It turns out that Tim’s great-grandfather was black, a truth that his family had long denied.
Everything became sense at once. We considered Amelia to be a priceless reliquary connecting Tim’s long-forgotten family history. But my in-law mother? She was blind to our small miracle. All she perceived was a challenge to her limited understanding of family.
“It’s alright, my love. Your parents adore you dearly. That’s the only thing that counts,” I muttered.
I tried to slow my heartbeat by softly rocking Amelia. Though I was aware that this was only the start of the storm, I had no idea how severe it would get.
I limped through our front door two weeks later, sore and worn out from the demands of postpartum care. My only goal was getting Amelia settled in her nursery so I could perhaps take a nap.
I whispered to Amelia, “I can’t wait to show you your room, sweetheart,” as we walked up to the nursery door.
After twisting the handle and pushing the door open, I FROZE. My stomach dropped to my chest.
The space was incorrect. So very, very wrong.
The walls that had once been lovely pink have been painted a harsh, dark black. The flowery curtains were gone. Instead, thick, heavy drapes were blocking out the sunlight. And the cot? The crib that Tim and I had devoted hours to assembling? It was scattered throughout the floor.
“Oh my God! What the heck occurred in this situation?” I stumbled and held Amelia tighter.
Janet said, “I thought I’d fix the room,” as she spoke behind me. “It WASN’T APPROPRIATE anymore.”
I whirled around, rage rising within me. “Significant? My infant slept in this room! You were not entitled.”
Janet crossed her arms, a smug grin plastered on her face.
“She’s NOT my grandchild. Look at her. She’s not Tim’s. Both you and Tim are WHITE, but this baby is NOT. I’m not accepting this child into this family.”
That my MIL was acting in such a racist manner shocked me!
I inhaled deeply, attempting to maintain composure for Amelia’s benefit. Janet, we’ve already discussed this. Genetics can be erratic. As you are aware, Black was Tim’s great-grandfather. Amelia is the daughter of Tim.
Janet spit out, “I’m not stupid.” “I refuse to allow a stranger’s child to grow up feeling as though she belongs here. When you return to your senses and bring her actual family to take her, I redone the room.”
I shook hands and took out my phone the moment Janet exited the room.
“Tim,” I said in response, “you have to go back home.” “RIGHT NOW.”
“What’s wrong?” Tim sounded immediately on-point.
“Your mother destroyed Amelia’s nursery. She’s arguing that because of the color of her skin, Amelia is not yours. Please help me, I can’t do this by myself.”
“How the heck? In fifteen minutes, I’ll be there.”
I strolled the living room and gently rocked Amelia as I waited. As I tried to comprehend what had happened, my thoughts raced. Is Janet really so cruel? That bigoted?
I had an idea all of a sudden. I took out my phone once more and launched the camera app. I left Amelia in my arms and made my way back to the kitchen, where Janet was waiting.
“Janet, could you kindly retell the reason for your actions in my baby’s room? It’s completely unjust.”
Janet raised her head, her eyes icy. “Rosie, I told you. It is not Tim’s child. She isn’t my grandchild. She is not welcome in our family, in my opinion.”
“However, why? only due to the hue of her skin?”
I continued the chat, taking care to record every expletive that was said.
“Obviously! Tim and you are both Caucasian. The skin of this baby is black. It’s obvious she’s not his. You’ve cheated on me, and I’m not letting you seduce my son by having a child with someone else. Rosie, you’re such a shame to this family.”
Janet ran to the stove without understanding what was going to happen to her.
My stomach turned to mush. After gathering sufficient proof, I began to take photos of the wrecked nursery.
“I’m going to show everyone exactly who my mother-in-law really is!” To myself, I mumbled.
Carefully putting my phone back in my pocket, I withdrew to the living room and embraced Amelia. Tim stormed in the door a few minutes later, his face booming.
“WHERE IS SHE?”
“Kitchen.”
My heart was racing as I followed Tim as he went into the kitchen.
“Mom, what the hell did you do?”
Janet’s smile was innocent as she looked up from her cup. “I took the appropriate action! When you find she’s not your kid, you’ll be grateful to me.”
We all jumped as Tim banged his hand into the counter.
“Do you really think this way? I am Amelia’s mother. My physical body and blood. You won’t see her either if you can’t come to terms with that. or us… at any point in the future.”
Janet’s expression twisted. “What? Are you picking them over your mom? I’m attempting to keep you safe!”
“Defend me? From where? Love? relatives? Mom, get your luggage packed. You’re heading out. Right now.”
Tim and I crashed onto the couch when Janet stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her. Amazingly, Amelia slept through it all.
Tim drew me in and said, “I’m so sorry, Rosie.” “I never thought she’d go this far.”
I leaned close to him and started crying. “What actions will we take? The infantry…?”
Tim gave me a tight squeeze. “We’ll make the necessary repairs. Enhance it beyond its current state.”
I answered, “But first, I have a thought.”
“We intend to reveal her true nature to her. Tim, I got a video of her. while she was disparaging Amelia in such a terrible way. The world must be aware of her character.”
“A gradual smile stretched across Tim’s face as his eyes grew wide. Yes, you are correct. She could be my mom. But it’s so unfair what she did. It’s necessary to discipline her.”
We shared the images and video on social media and included the names of all the family members who came to mind. The caption said,
“Guess who needs Biology lessons? My MIL! This is what happens when she refuses to accept her own granddaughter because of the COLOR OF HER SKIN. My baby Amelia deserves better! Some people fail to understand that love & acceptance go beyond superficial differences. Black or white, my child is my UNIVERSE.
And I won’t sit back and watch anyone mock my baby, even if it’s my own MIL. If need be, this mama bear will stand up for her child like a lioness… 🥺👼🏾👩🏻🍼”
The outpouring of support was rapid. Critiques of Janet’s behavior flooded in. Family members apologized and offered their support over the phone. Even Janet’s religious group reached out to her in horror at her actions.
We were scrolling through the responses when I exclaimed to Tim, “I can’t believe how many people are on our side.”
His sister texted him right at that moment, making his phone vibrate. “Oh my god,” he let out.
“What is it?” Peering at his screen, I asked.
“Mom’s boss received the post from Lily. Mom… she was let go.”
I sat back in disbelief. “Whoa. I was surprised by that.”
Tim stroked his hair with his hand. “Neither am I. However, I can’t argue that she didn’t deserve it.”
After a few weeks, things gradually returned to normal. Amelia’s eyes gleamed as we painted the nursery again, this time in a wonderful shade of soft pink. After Tim’s sister assisted us in choosing new furnishings, the room was soon once more filled with laughter and joy.
I was rocking Amelia in her new glider one afternoon when Tim entered the room with an odd expression.
“What is it?” I enquired, feeling instantly alarmed.
“Raising his phone, he did so. It’s Mom, that’s what. She is insistent on speaking with us.”
“What did you say?”
Tim sat hard-faced on the ottoman. “I warned her she wasn’t supposed to be here. Never, ever, not right now.”
“All right. After what she did, I doubt I could confront her.”
Tim extended his hand to grasp my hand. “Her poisoning is over for us. Amelia is deserving of better.”
I slowly nodded. “Actions have repercussions. Perhaps now she will finally see how mistaken she was.”
It was then that Amelia began to fuss. I took her in my arms and inhaled her wonderful infant smell.
“You know what?” Looking at Tim, I said. “Janet is no longer even on my mind. Everything we require is right here.”
Tim put his arms around both of us and grinned. “You’re accurate. This is our family, and things are ideal the way they are.”
As I stood there, feeling the love of my husband and daughter all around me, I knew we had survived the storm.
What about Janet? She’s probably never going to get over the humiliation. Quite frankly, she is not deserving of it. Do you believe I went too far with it? Was there any justification for my MIL’s actions? Please stop commenting.
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