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Four years old - or in this case "almost 4" - is quite young to fully understand "doesn't like". It could be some misunderstanding.
Try to get as much information as you can from older children and surrounding adults to get a clearer view, and then take it from there in a loving and non-confrontation way. Ultimately though, we can't make everyone like us.
^This.
I'm pretty sure I've said something like "I hate when she does/says that" about both my own mother as well as my mother-in-law. Doesn't mean I don't love/like them in general.
Even people we care about sometimes do things that annoy us and we vent.
A 4 year old who may have overheard something she wasn't meant to hear wouldn't necessarily be able to make that distinction.
Like Art Linkletter used to say, kids say the darndest things. This thread of a youngster telling you something they heard but weren't supposed to repeat reminded me of a Dennis the Menace cartoon I saw a while back. Dennis is standing between his mother and another lady. Staring at the lady he says,"She's not that large, Mom! Why do you say she needs a shrink?"
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Toddlers have no filter, they will repeat what they have heard and tell the truth regardless of how much it may hurt because they don't know any better.
When I raised my children, I was always told that little kids didn't lie. I don't think that's entirely correct. Even my nieces and nephews will often say things that aren't exactly true. I hate to call it lying, I just think they have great imaginations. Just the other day, my nephew said "I didn't have a peanut butter sandwich for lunch". Well, he darn sure did, I watched him eat it, lol. Sure, your grandchild may have heard something, but no telling what was actually said.
I would laugh it off with something like this. "She doesn't?" (lol) "Well I like your mommy very much and I like you very much too".
I know my daughter in law enough to know if there is a serious problem with her raising her children. And I know my grandbabies well enough to know when they just need a little extra hug and lovin', because mommy probably took away their Ipad or something else trivial.
No negative interactions but fairly sure this is something that was heard. Kids don’t lie so I’m guessing it was said.
Little kids don't "lie," per se, as in intend to say something that they know not to be true. But they're not very good with the truth, either. They have a limited vocabulary, compared to adults, so they tend to express things using the words available to them, although their words may be quite different from the adult reality. They aren't good at interpreting nuances and motivations, and their memory processing isn't developed.
OP, I wouldn't take what your granddaughter said at face value. If your relationship with your daughter in law is a good one, chalk this up to "goofy things kids say."
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