A Flat Without the Mother-in-Law: Escaping the Nightmare of a Shared Three-Bedroom
We are not buying a flat to live with my mother-in-lawI refuse to take a three-bedroom just to avoid this nightmare.
My husband and I dream of our own home. Weve taken out a mortgage and even borrowed money from my mother-in-law. She isnt cruel, but her constant interference pushes me to the edge. Since her husband passed away, shes made it her mission to look after everyone, and its smothering us. She owns a spacious flat in the heart of London, but my mind is made up: Id rather have a smaller place thats truly ours. I wont let her shadow loom over our home.
Weve found a three-bedroom in a new development. One of the rooms is tinyperfect for the walk-in wardrobe Ive always wanted. But my mother-in-law, Margaret Elizabeth, was furious. She called it ridiculous to turn it into a wardrobe. Where will guests sleep? What if family comes to visit? she kept saying, her gaze sharp. I knew instantlyshe was thinking of herself. Lately, she lingers at ours until ungodly hours, as if refusing to return to her empty flat. Her words sounded like a sentence: if we take a three-bedroom, shell camp in our home, maybe even move in permanently.
Im not blindI see where this is heading. Margaret Elizabeth is lonely, and her concern has become suffocating control. She calls three times a day to check in, offers unsolicited advice, and even tries to dictate how we arrange our future home. I refuse to share my house with her! My husband, William, and I are buying a place to build our life, not to cater to her whims, no matter how kind she seems.
Ive laid down the law: no three-bedroom. Ill see your mother at holidays, I told William. If she wants a guest room so badly, she can make one in her own flat. He argued she just wanted to be close, that shes growing older and lonely. But I wont budge. I wont sacrifice my peace for her oppressive care. Id rather give up my dream wardrobe than turn our home into an extension of hers.
If guests visit, theyll sleep on an airbed. And if my mother-in-law insists on staying over, Ill find a hundred reasons to take her home. This is our house, our life, and no onenot even herwill steal our right to call it ours.
