My son, Harry, has four little ones, ages 3, 5, 6, and 8. He and his wife, Kaley, need to travel out of state for a few weeks because Kaley’s mother is seriously ill, and they need to be by her side.

They asked me to babysit my grandkids, and of course, I was more than happy to say yes. But then Kaley handed me a handwritten list of rules (strict ones!) that felt more like personal criticisms than helpful guidelines.

First off, Kaley insists that I leave my own home and move into theirs for the duration. She believes the kids will be safer there.

Then, there’s the matter of my cat. She doesn’t want any pets around, so I’m not allowed to bring him.

But the most humiliating part? Kaley has stated that I need to shower twice a day, along with a bunch of other personal hygiene instructions that really crossed the line. It felt so invasive and unnecessary.

Reading the list, I was taken aback at first, but that shock quickly turned into frustration, and I called Kaley to let her know I just couldn’t go along with it. Now, she’s got an attitude, and I don’t think she really gets why I had to say no. To make things worse, she and Harry didn’t even show up to our Sunday family lunch, which is a tradition we’ve kept for years, just once a month.

I’m honestly at a loss for how to handle this. I don’t want to jeopardize my relationship with Harry and his family, but at the same time, what they’re asking of me feels way too much and, honestly, a little unreasonable.