How My Mother-in-law Ended Up Without a Home
I honestly don’t believe we are required to support my brother-in-law and his family by renting a flat for them. Let me start by saying that I own the three-bedroom flat we live in, and I bought it in a right state, well before I married my husband. You can just imaginewhen I got it, the front door was held up against the frame rather than being attached properly. The only upside was the price, which I was happy with, and everything else I sorted out bit by bit. But thats not really the point of my story.
By the time I met my husband, Id already redone two rooms and even brought in a few bits of furniture. All in all, the flat was fairly comfortable by then.
My husbandtall, handsomewas living in a rental. A few months after we got together, he moved in with me. After we got married, we turned one of the rooms into a nursery. First, we had a boy, then a girl.
Everything was going smoothly until one bleak autumn evening when my mother-in-law turned our lives upside down. She turned up that day with her suitcases, soaked in tears:
Could I stay with you for a while? My younger sons moved his girlfriend into my flat. I do hope it works out for them; maybe shell become his wife, and theyll live together in wedded bliss I wont be any trouble, Ill help around the house, pick the children up from school and nursery, cook meals. I dont have anyone else but you!
She was distraught, so of course we let her in. We gave her the largest room. My husbands mother had long since retired, and she did look after the children as promised. Meanwhile, she never showed her face at her own place, as her youngest son was settling down there. He lived in my mother-in-laws one-bedroom flat with his new wife and two childrenone they had together, and the other was his wifes from a previous relationship.
Years ago, my brother-in-law married straight out of school, and my parents-in-law sold their house, using the proceeds to buy themselves a studio flat and a two-bedroom one for their son. Then, sadly, my father-in-law became ill and eventually passed away.
My brother-in-law and his first wife had two children, then divorced, and he left the flat to his former family. His ex-wife now lives there with her new husband and three kids.
After the divorce, my husbands brother moved back in with their mum and told her, Mum, Ill stay with you for a bit. Im on my own now and dreaming of a fresh start! Ill sort myself out, find somewhere to live. But it didnt pan out that way. Instead, a few months later, he moved his new partner in with their mum.
Every weekend, my mother-in-law would bring his childrenboth from the first marriage and the secondround to ours. Our place turned into absolute chaos.
A year went by, and we told my mother-in-law she needed to sort out her living arrangements. She broke down into tears and started getting hysterical again.
I had to tell my brother-in-law it was time for him to leave his mums flat, but he refused, saying he had kids and barely earned enough to pay rent elsewhere. I mean, what was I supposed to do?
Lately, my relationship with my husbands mother has really soured. I dread coming home from work. I decided it was time to talk to my husband and told him he needed to sort out the situation with his motheror I would file for divorce.
He was absolutely floored and didnt have a clue where to put his mother; after all, he wasnt about to throw her out onto the street.
I suggested his mum could rent a studio flatafter all, we have more than enough for that. But she flatly refused to live in rented accommodation, and insisted instead that we ought to rent a two-bedroom flat for my brother-in-law and his family, so she could move back home.
Honestly, I thought that was just cheeky. I told her that if she didnt move out within a week, Id be leaving her things outside the door. What else was I supposed to do?
I dont think its down to us to support my brother-in-laws familyespecially not to provide housing for them!
