Grandma Secretly Baptizes Grandson Against Daughter's Wishes, Gifts Them The Baby's Baptismal Certificate During Christmas

They said, "It was time we all shared this joy and that we can now finally be relieved that God is watching over our son."

Chelsi

• Published in Christmas
• October 31, 2023

A new mom and her boyfriend are at odds if they should cut her parents out of their lives after her mom secretly baptized their baby. OP's parents are Eastern Orthodox Christians.

They believe that babies who die unchristened go to limbo instead of heaven. OP is agnostic, while her boyfriend is a Protestant.

They decided not to force their beliefs on their son and allow him to explore his faith when he was older. OP's mom laughed when she told her about their decision.

She said she would christen their son in secret, as was the norm during the Soviet era. OP thought her mom was joking because she was never a devout believer.

Her mom visits them every spring to help around their house. OP and her boyfriend work long hours during this season and are appreciative of her help.

Their little family spent Christmas with OP's family in their home country. Her parents' gift to them during that holiday was her son's baptismal certificate.

Apparently, OP's mom took her son to a Chuch when she visited that spring to have him baptized. Her dad said it was time that they all shared the joy of knowing that God watched over their son.

OP and her boyfriend were upset. They kept their thoughts to themselves because OP's relatives were present at the gathering.

They finally got home and it was clear that OP's boyfriend wasn't going to let the issue go.

OP felt betrayed by her mom's actions. Her boyfriend wants to stop visiting OP's parents indefinitely.

He also refused to host her mom during her annual spring visits.

He said he betrayed their trust and insulted their parenting. Baptizing their son against their wishes was her way of saying they were bad parents because they weren't religious. OP was torn if she should follow her boyfriend's wishes.

Her boyfriend reacted appropriately given how OP's parents behaved

OP and her boyfriend can and should file a complaint to the church where their son was baptized. Get a written record of how they allowed a child to be christened without the parents' permission.

Redditors believed that OP's boyfriend made the right call to cut her parents off even temporarily

They think they did OP and her boyfriend a favor by baptizing their son for them.

They won't apologize or realize their actions were wrong if OP doesn't say anything.

OP's mom didn't act like a good person of faith

OP should explain to them why she and her boyfriend felt betrayed by what happened. They need to know they crossed a boundary.

If they insist that they did nothing wrong, then OP and her boyfriend can rethink how much contact they want from them

OP explained how traumatic the baptismal experience was for her son. It wasn't a sprinkling of holy water. Her 7-month-old son was dunked into the water three times.

She also had something to say to the commenters who tried to downplay what her mother did.

OP didn't share any updates. If she followed the advice of some helpful Redditors, a serious talk with her parents was first on her agenda.

OP's boyfriend was right — what her mom did was an insult to their parenting choices. Her mom broke so many boundaries that she can't be trusted to be alone with OP's son anytime soon.

Chelsi