Choosing A Sitter

I decided to return to work one day per week when baby turned 3 months.  My sister-in-law has worked at a daycare facility, loves children, and is currently unemployed, so she seemed the natural choice for baby sitter.  She agreed to do it, happy to have a new opportunity to spend another day per week with her nephew.  We were finalizing our plans the day before I returned to work.  My mother-in-law happened to be present at the time and started yelling, "Why didn't you ask ME to watch him?  I'm the one who has been asking to take him!  What, am I too OLD to take him?"

I'm not used to seeing her snap.  It is new behavior that started when her grandson was born.  I just looked at her like she was crazy and said, "It is already arranged."

My husband got home soon after and assured her that she was welcome to help the sitter because two are better than one.

She is nearly 70 years old, but the real reasons that I didn't ask her to sit for me is that she panics in serious situations, she disagrees with me on many child care issues and insists on doing things her own way.  My husband naturally sees his mother as the perfect care taker, but agrees with me that her DESIRE to be his baby sitter doesn't qualify her.  At the end of the day, I have to be able to drive away feeling like baby is in good hands.