— Needless to Say, This Is All My Fault! — My Boyfriend’s Sister Sobs, “I Couldn’t Have Imagined Something Like This Would Happen!” Now I Don’t Know What to Do, or How I’ll Manage Without Completely Losing Face My Boyfriend’s Sister Got Married a Few Years Ago. After the Wedding, It Was Decided the Newlyweds Would Live with Her Husband’s Mother. His Parents Have a Spacious Three-Bedroom Flat and Only One Son. “You Can Have Two Rooms, I’ll Keep One!” Promised the Mother-in-Law. “We’re All Decent People—I’m Sure We’ll Get Along Just Fine.” “We Can Always Find Our Own Place Later!” Her Husband Said, “But I Don’t See Any Harm in Trying to Live with My Mum. If It Doesn’t Work, We Can Always Move Out…” That’s Exactly What Happened. As It Turned Out, Living Together Wasn’t So Easy. Both Daughter-in-Law and Mother-in-Law Tried, but Things Got Worse Each Day. Tensions Boiled Over Now and Then, and the Arguments Grew More Frequent. “You Said If It Didn’t Work, We’d Move Out!” His Wife Cried to Him. “Well, Haven’t We Managed So Far?” His Mum Responded Dismissively. “These Are Just Trivialities—Hardly Reason to Pack Your Bags.” Exactly a Year After the Wedding, She Became Pregnant and Delivered a Healthy Baby Boy. The Baby’s Birth Coincided with Her Mother-in-Law Taking Early Retirement and Struggling to Find a New Job—No One Wants to Hire an Older Woman. So Daughter-in-Law and Mother-in-Law Stared at Each Other All Day, with Nowhere Else to Go. The Home Atmosphere Soured Quickly. The Husband Just Shrugged and Listened to the Complaints—He Was the Only Breadwinner. “We Can’t Move Out Yet—My Mum Can’t Support Herself. I Can’t Leave Her, and I Can’t Afford Both Rent and Helping Mum. Once She Finds Something, We’ll Move!” But His Wife’s Patience Was Exhausted. She Packed for Herself and the Baby and Moved Back to Her Own Mum’s. Before Leaving, She Told Her Husband She’d Never Set Foot in His Mother’s House Again. If He Cared About His Family, He’d Figure Something Out. She Expected That, Because He Loved His Family, He’d Try Straight Away to Win Her Back. But She Was Very Much Mistaken. It’s Been Over Three Months Since She Moved Out, and He Hasn’t Even Tried to Bring Her Back. Instead, He’s Living Comfortably with His Mum, Video Calling Wife and Child After Work, and Visiting on the Weekends at His Mother-in-Law’s. He’s Enjoying the Care of Two Women at Once, and—other than the occasional weekend—doesn’t even have to look after his son. His Life’s a Win! And the Mother-in-Law, frankly, hasn’t lost a thing! Meanwhile, the Young Woman Feels Miserable. She Loves Her Husband, Even Knowing He’s Doing Wrong. “What Did You Expect When You Left?” The Husband Shrugs, “You Can Come Back Whenever You Want.” It’s Obvious the Wife Has No Intention—or Ability—to Move into a Flat Alone, Especially as a New Mum on Maternity Leave. Is This Really the End of Their Family? What Do You Think—Does She Have Even the Slightest Chance of Returning to Her Mother-in-Law’s Home Without Completely Losing Face?

Needless to say, all of this is my fault! My friends sister sobbed, tears running down her cheeks. I never imagined things would turn out like this! And now, I cant see a way forward. I havent a clue how to sort it all out without making a complete fool of myself.

A few years back, my friends sister lets call her Emily got married.

After the wedding, it was decided that the newlyweds would move in with the husbands mother. His parents had a sizeable three-bedroom flat in Manchester, and he was their only child.

Ill keep one room, and the rest are yours! said the mother-in-law with a warm smile. Were all reasonable people, so Im sure well manage perfectly well together.

We can always leave if it doesnt work out, Emilys husband, Thomas, assured her. I see no harm in at least trying to live with Mum. And if it comes to it, we can just find a place to rent

Thats exactly what they tried to do. But, as it turned out, living together was no easy thing. Both Emily and her mother-in-law put in a fair effort, but as the days wore on, things steadily got worse. Resentment built up until it boiled over every now and then, and arguments became more and more frequent.

You said if we couldnt get on, wed move out! Emily eventually cried at Thomas, tears in her eyes.

Have we really done that badly? his mother shrugged dismissively. These are trifles. Dont be silly, leaving for something so minor.

Exactly one year after their wedding, Emily fell pregnant and gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

The arrival of their son coincided with the mother-in-law leaving her old job, and struggling to find new work, as no employer wanted to hire a woman so close to retiring. As a result, Emily and her mother-in-law were together at home almost all day, every day neither had anywhere else to be. This only made the tension worse in the flat.

Thomas, meanwhile, just shrugged and listened to their complaints when he got home. He was their sole breadwinner at that point.

We cant just abandon Mum, hed say. Shes got no income of her own. I cant just leave her to fend for herself, and I cant afford to rent us a place and help her out at the same time. Once Mum finds another job, well move out.

But Emilys patience finally reached breaking point. She packed up her things, grabbed their little boy, and left to stay with her own mother in Liverpool. As she walked out, she told Thomas she would never step foot in his mothers flat again. If his family meant anything to him, he needed to figure things out.

Emily was certain Thomas would realise what he was losing and come racing after her, desperate to win her back. But she was sorely mistaken.

Its been over three months since she moved out, and Thomas hasnt once tried to bring her home. He still lives with his mother, speaks to Emily and their son over video call after work, and visits at her mothers house on the weekends.

Thomas enjoys the attention and care from both women, and his mother seems perfectly content. For now, he doesnt have to worry about the baby and gets sympathy from those around him. Its as though hes landed on his feet! And, as for the mother-in-law, she seems to have lost nothing whatsoever.

Emily, meanwhile, is far from happy with the whole situation. She loves Thomas deeply, even if she knows hes in the wrong.

What did you expect, leaving like that? Thomas said one day. You can come back if you want to.

Its quite possible Emily doesnt actually want to leave her mums house and rent a place herself. Shes still on maternity leave and naturally, has no means to support herself independently.

Is this really the end of their family?

I cant help but wonder if she has the slightest hope of returning to her mother-in-laws flat without humiliating herself.

Looking back on this tangled mess, I realise how fragile family life can be when communication falters. If theres one thing Ive learned, its this: no matter how difficult the living arrangements might get, steering clear of honest conversation only leads to bigger heartache.