How to handle family speaking negativity over my children?
I am a HUGE believer in the things we speak over people (good and bad), influencing their lives. We live with my husband's family on their farm, the household consists of my husband's parents, his grandmother and two aunts-and our family of 5.
We homeschool, so our three girls and I are home pretty much all day, every day. The aunts and grandma are also home all day every day.
They've always been known to talk about other people on a regular basis, but lately they've really latched on to constantly speaking things over my children. It's not just a here or there thing either. Yesterday, I made a point of keeping track throughout the day, they called the baby (21 months) spoiled a total of 9 times. Sometimes it's said in jest ("_____ said she's spoiled, I told her all babies smell that way."), and other times not so much in jest, and not really to me, just to no one in particular. That's the most minor of things, and I'd really rather not even type out some of the others.
It frustrates me, because any time I have had any issue with the aunts that I try to speak with them about, they get upset and freak out, because "they don't mean anything by it". That being the case, it's not likely it's going to change.
I guess more than anything I'm looking for scripture references and prayer support in more or less blocking out the negativity they speak over our family, and for helping me not be upset by the things they say and gossip about-because honestly that has become a problem for me as well.
I am a HUGE believer in the things we speak over people (good and bad), influencing their lives. We live with my husband's family on their farm, the household consists of my husband's parents, his grandmother and two aunts-and our family of 5.
We homeschool, so our three girls and I are home pretty much all day, every day. The aunts and grandma are also home all day every day.
They've always been known to talk about other people on a regular basis, but lately they've really latched on to constantly speaking things over my children. It's not just a here or there thing either. Yesterday, I made a point of keeping track throughout the day, they called the baby (21 months) spoiled a total of 9 times. Sometimes it's said in jest ("_____ said she's spoiled, I told her all babies smell that way."), and other times not so much in jest, and not really to me, just to no one in particular. That's the most minor of things, and I'd really rather not even type out some of the others.
It frustrates me, because any time I have had any issue with the aunts that I try to speak with them about, they get upset and freak out, because "they don't mean anything by it". That being the case, it's not likely it's going to change.
I guess more than anything I'm looking for scripture references and prayer support in more or less blocking out the negativity they speak over our family, and for helping me not be upset by the things they say and gossip about-because honestly that has become a problem for me as well.