Many individuals have stories regarding less-than-satisfactory experiences with their mother-in-laws (MILs). Some MILs are just too difficult to please, no matter how much you try to help them in their daily lives. One man in Ohio took to Reddit to explain his desperate situation with a stubborn MIL and how he finally had to exchange harsh words with her. Unfortunately, this was a long time coming after all the turmoil she put this couple through.
The post was made on Reddit’s r/JUSTNOMIL forum, where people post stories about their MILs. The post was captioned, “MIL got herself evicted… on purpose,” so I knew we were in for a wild ride. OP stated, after his FIL passed away, his MIL couldn’t afford to stay in her home due to finances. OP’s wife figured the best way to get her out of this situation was to get her in a 55+ HUD apartment that was “literally half a mile from our house.”
However, this good thing was not built to last. Apparently, OP’s MIL was not happy with the arrangement and “did everything she could to be a disturbance.” This included playing the TV at a loud volume, hoarding food, being mean and gossiping about other people living there, and calling the police because she didn’t like a particular person. After all this, it was no surprise that the MIL received an eviction notice.
Though OP and his wife worked hard to get her into a better situation, she was still displeased and unappreciative. She even told her daughter, “Well, looks like I will get to move back into my house after all!” Her daughter took matters into her own hands and drove her by her old home. The house was already sold. She then got in touch with local agencies and started to work on getting the mom into assisted living. Of course, OP’s MIL was not happy about this and said so.
OP, finally pushed to his limits, spoke up. He said, “You lost the ability to make your own choices when you purposefully got yourself evicted.” OP continued, “If you get yourself kicked out of this place… your only other option will be a homeless shelter.” He told his MIL she would never move into their home and they would not help her seek further shelter if she did anything adverse in her new living environment.
OP said that, after the outburst, his MIL acted stunned and even “fake cried” to garner sympathy. However, she moved into the assisted living facility and has actually been thriving. He called it “her dream living scenario” with bingo days, church services, 24/7 nursing, and housekeeping cleaning up after her. In the end, he saw this as an overall success for his family—and good for their mental health, too.
Reddit comments were on OP’s side, as many have also been dealing with overbearing MILs. One said, “YOU are the master!! Can you PLEASE come here to TN and deal with my mother????” Another stated bluntly, “Congratulations on that shiny spine. It will certainly come in handy when supporting your wife in maintaining firm boundaries with her delusional mother.”
The unfortunate truth is that many MILs will expect that their families will jump through hoops for them when it comes to their living situation. However, sharing a home with a MIL can invite in a host of issues for some families, including an unexpected intrusion that causes unnecessary stress. It goes to show that you can certainly love someone at a distance – and, sometimes, that is necessary.
