Carla was thankful that her mother-in-law helped them buy their house but never wanted to live with her. However, when her husband said his mother would be moving in, she couldn’t say no right away. Instead, she told her mother-in-law about the important rules she needed to follow before moving in. Read More
Carla didn’t expect this to cause a family conflict and wrote to us hoping for advice.
I’m in a difficult situation with my mother-in-law, and I’m unsure if I handled things the right way. My husband wants his mother to live with us because she feels lonely and has offered to babysit our kids. Given that she helped us buy our house, I feel I couldn’t just say no.
But I set some non-negotiable rules that she would need to follow if she were to move in with us.
First, she must sell her car. We have a two-car garage and simply no space for a third car.
Second, the only spare room we have available is the smallest one in the house. It’s not the most comfortable, but it’s the only option since both of our kids have their own rooms and need their space.
Third, I expect her to help with the cleaning. I handle the cooking myself because I prefer it that way, but I don’t like cleaning.
Inheritance issues can get complicated fast. After Daphne’s dad died and left her the house, she asked her stepmother to either pay rent or move out. When…