Throwaway account

So, my step-MIL really crossed a line the other day. I’m a mom of five—11, 9, 7, a 10-month-old, and a newborn—and let me tell you, yesterday was one of those chaotic days where everything felt like an uphill battle. I usually have a good handle on things, keeping the kids on a tight schedule for school and after-school activities, but it was just one of those days.

After I finally got all the kids to bed, my husband came home, gave me a kiss, and we chatted about our days and our weekend plans, including a date night on Saturday. While he hopped in the shower, I got in bed to breastfeed the newborn and catch some TV. It was around 8:45 PM, and my oldest goes to bed at 9 PM. Suddenly, my 10-month-old starts crying, and I couldn’t really move since I was feeding the baby.

So, I called my oldest over and asked if she could help with the baby. She was super excited and jumped at the chance and said “Really? I get to help with the baby!!!” I don’t ever ask her to help with the younger kids which is why she was happy (I think). I walked her through every step—getting the bottle from the warmer, feeding, the whole deal. They were having a little playtime, which made it take longer, but by the time I finished with the newborn nd had changed the 10-month-old, it was about 9:05 PM.

When I tucked my daughter in, she was thrilled, saying she got to stay up past her bedtime and felt like a big kid. Fast forward to today when my step-MIL and FIL stopped by for lunch. The kids had a day off from school, and my daughter happily recounted her big-kid moment to them. I even gave her some candy as a thank-you for helping out. Then, my step-MIL came outta nowhere and accused me of abusing my daughter for “forcing” her to stay up and help parent. I told her that wasn’t the case at all—I asked, she agreed, and it was just a small task. Plus, my husband was getting out the shower and then he was busy with the boys who kept getting out of bed.

Then she said she might call CPS on me because I’m a bad mom. I snapped and told her to STFU—like seriously, chill out over a minor situation. My FIL thought I overreacted. So, AITAH?