Dear Sahaj: My toddler son has a cousin his same age who he adores. I love their relationship and want to encourage it. My sister-in-law is very overprotective and insists on all play dates being at her house. This wouldn’t be a problem except she consistently makes passive aggressive comments toward my son. Her attitude seems to be a result of her protectiveness for her child. For example, she will insert herself in the kids games and tell my child that those aren’t his toys and he needs to ask her child permission before playing with them. I think she is trying to preemptively protect her child from being pushed around, even if her child doesn’t seem bothered. Her child is quieter and more of a follower while my son is definitely more of an extrovert and tends to direct their activities. However, I’ve always believed the two kids work out disagreements really well when left alone. They both care for each other and end up compromising and problem solving on their own.
