I sat at the kitchen table, staring at the numbers on my laptop screen. No matter how many times I recalculated, the cost of childcare was still too high. My maternity leave was ending soon, and we had to make a decision fast.
“If only that place near the mall still had space,” I muttered under my breath.
Kelly, my mother-in-law, peered over my shoulder while swaying baby Lily in her arms. “I still don’t understand why you want to waste money on daycare when I can watch this little angel for free.” Her voice was smooth, persuasive. “Those prices are ridiculous!”
I swallowed hard. Kelly had always been a complicated presence in my life. From the moment my husband Jordan introduced us, she had made it clear that no woman would ever be good enough for her son. The passive-aggressive comments about my cooking, my housekeeping, and my parenting were already exhausting. Letting her take control of Lily’s daily care? That was an entirely different level of stress.
“I don’t know…” I hesitated.
Kelly tutted and bounced Lily lightly. “It’s simple, Lauren. Just say ‘yes.'”
I looked at my baby, sleeping so peacefully. The thought of leaving her at daycare with strangers scared me. At least Kelly was family, right?
“I’ll think about it,” I said finally.
That evening, I talked it over with Jordan. “She raised you just fine, didn’t she?” he reasoned. “And it doesn’t have to be permanent. The daycare you wanted might have an opening soon.”
I sighed. “Fine. But she has to follow our rules. No guests, no long phone calls, no wine in the afternoons. I don’t want to be the one to tell her, though.”
“I’ll talk to her,” Jordan promised. “It’ll be fine.”
And at first, it was.
Kelly kept me updated throughout the day, sending pictures of Lily’s walks, naps, and meals. When I came home, the house was clean, dinner was ready, and Lily seemed happy. Maybe I had worried for nothing.
“Thank you, Kelly,” I said sincerely that Friday. “It’s been a huge help.”
She smiled, eyes fixed on Lily. “Being a grandmother is the greatest joy of my life. I should be thanking you.”
I was starting to relax—until the nanny cam incident.
One evening, I walked in to find Kelly looking nervous, her hands fidgeting.
“How was your day?” she asked, too brightly.
“Fine,” I said slowly. “Where’s Lily?”
“Napping in her crib.”
I noticed she was holding something in her hand. She sighed and handed it to me.
“Actually, there was a little accident today. I was cleaning, and this fell.” She held out the nanny cam, its screen shattered.
I turned it over in my hands, my gut twisting. Kelly never touched technology unless she had to. Why was she suddenly dusting around our cameras?
“Don’t worry about it,” I said, forcing a smile. “Accidents happen.”
That night, once Kelly had left and Jordan was asleep, I plugged the broken nanny cam into my laptop. The screen was useless, but the audio files were intact. My hands trembled as I clicked play.
At first, everything sounded normal—lullabies, baby coos, the creak of the rocking chair.
Then, the front door opened.
“Hello?” Kelly’s voice.
“It’s just me,” a man answered.
A man I didn’t recognize.
“You sure she won’t find out?” he asked.
Kelly laughed. “Relax. She’s at work. We have hours.”
Footsteps. Cupboards opening and closing. The clink of glasses.
“Wine?” Kelly offered.
“Don’t mind if I do.”
Laughter. Flirty giggles.
My blood boiled. Kelly wasn’t just babysitting—she was using my home as her personal dating venue!
I shut the laptop and paced the room. Sleep refused to come that night, but by morning, I had a plan.
I kissed Lily goodbye and left for work as usual—or at least, that’s what Kelly thought. Instead, I parked a block away and waited.
Thirty minutes later, I returned and quietly unlocked the front door.
Laughter greeted me. I stepped inside to find Kelly and a silver-haired man at my dining table, two wine glasses between them.
“Where’s Lily?” I demanded.
They both jumped. Kelly’s face went pale. “Lauren! What are you doing here?”
The man fumbled to stand. “Uh, I should go—”
“No, stay,” I said coldly. “Because I’d love to know why my mother-in-law is using my home as a dating lounge while she’s supposed to be watching my daughter.”
Kelly’s expression darkened. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic! Greg is just a friend from church.”
“I don’t care if he’s the Pope! You left my baby alone while you drank wine with a stranger!”
“She’s in her crib, perfectly safe.”
A wail echoed from the nursery.
I stormed in to find Lily red-faced and crying. Her diaper was soaked through.
Kelly hovered at the door. “Oh no! I wasn’t ignoring her.”
I held up the evidence. “Really, Kelly? This says otherwise. You’re done babysitting.”
That night, I told Jordan everything. His face darkened with each detail.
He put the phone on speaker. “Mom, what were you thinking? Lauren told me everything.”
“Oh, I see,” Kelly snapped. “She’s turning you against me now.”
“I heard the recording,” Jordan said coldly. “You broke our trust.”
“I was lonely! Greg is just a friend!”
“You left Lily in a soaked diaper while you had wine!”
“You’re overreacting! If your wife was at home taking care of your child like she should be—”
“Don’t,” Jordan warned. “We’re done here.”
Kelly gasped. “You can’t mean that! She’s my granddaughter!”
“And she’s our daughter,” Jordan said. “We’re changing the locks.”
That night, as we lay in bed, I turned to Jordan. “Do you think we did the right thing?”
He was silent for a moment. “Yes. My mom crossed a line. If she thought she could treat our home like a social club and our daughter as an afterthought, she was dead wrong.”
I squeezed his hand, relief washing over me.
We’d figure out childcare. But no amount of free babysitting was worth our daughter’s safety—or our peace of mind.
