“I Gave My Son My House for His Future — Now His Mother-in-Law Is Moving In”
Eventually, most parents begin to consider how they may make their children’s lives a little bit simpler in addition to their own. Being a mother, I’ve always thought that family comes first. That idea served as the motivation for a choice that I now seriously doubt.
The cosy three-bedroom house where I live alone was once a bustling family home, full of the noise and fun of raising kids, but it has now been transformed into a peaceful place where I go about my daily activities. In the years following his recent marriage, my son would frequently comment on how ideal my home would be for starting a family. The home’s layout was perfect, he and his wife discussed their desire to have children soon, and how they could create something unique in the same area where he grew up.
His excitement and desire to help his new life moved me to what I believed to be a kind and giving decision: I gave them the house. I rented it, but I didn’t sell it. Thinking I was being good for the next generation, I left home and moved in with my sister, who was a widow.
However, I felt deceived and shaken by what my kid told me yesterday. His mother-in-law is going to move in with them, he said.
I was dumbfounded. I told him, “I didn’t move out of my house to make room for her mother.”
Immediately after that, my daughter-in-law stated something that caught me off guard: “We lied about having a family instantly. We are still too young and not yet prepared. She went on, “But my mum is by herself. She will move in with us since we have a larger home now.
It broke my heart.
I was too angry to disguise it. Simply put, I told them that I didn’t approve of this agreement. I granted them the house with the idea that they would soon have a family and would require a suitable home. Despite the fact that I had moved away for their sake, I reminded them that it was still technically my house.
Then the most painful portion arrived.
My kid said, “My MIL is much more in need of us than you are,” after giving me a direct look. Now that she is a member of my family, I must look after her.
I was broken. That’s not because he wants to aid someone in need, but rather because I’ve already sacrificed so much for him, and now it’s being rewritten. It seems to me that I was duped. I relinquished my house on the basis of a pledge—a picture of a future they knew they weren’t ready to begin. And now, I live somewhere else feeling rejected, and the very place I gave up in love will now be occupied by someone I don’t even know.
Compassion and the notion that in-laws belong in the family are things I have nothing against. What hurts, though, is the deceit, the silence, and the total disrespect for the spirit in which the house was given. So that they could construct someone else’s future in my place, I refused to give up my past.
I’m wondering now, what should I do?
My heart is broken. I feel like I’ve been utilised. But more than anything, I feel like my relationship with my son has changed into something I never thought would happen—a place where my voice is ignored and my support is taken for granted in a place that used to be mine.
I’d prefer not to fight. I’d rather not start a commotion. I do want to feel appreciated and respected, though. Can we ask for too much?
