A woman took to a Reddit board to see if she was in the wrong for asking her in-laws to pay for rent or else move out of their home.
She is Ther Breadwinner
The Original Poster (OP) serves as the primary breadwinner for her household while her husband (42) is semi-retired due to a work-related injury. Despite this setback, he remains a great husband and takes care of all the household chores during the day. Whenever OP is not working, they share their responsibilities equally.
After losing their home, OP recently offered their rental suite in the basement to her husband’s sister, including her husband and two teenage children.
To ensure proper documentation and security, OP requested that they sign a lease agreement before moving in. The rental suite was previously used as a family area but has now been occupied by their relatives in need.
OP’s husband was given the opportunity to consult at his former workplace, which he was excited about since it allowed him to socialize with his old coworkers and friends while getting out of the house.
They Asked Her Babysit
However, due to the short notice, they had not arranged for a babysitter for their youngest child. They asked OP’s sister-in-law to watch over their child for the day, and she agreed.
To OP’s surprise, her sister delegated the responsibility to her 13-year-old son and took a nap.
OP was working when the sister’s 13-year-old son knocked on her door to ask for help changing a diaper. The boy did not want to disturb his sleeping mother and felt uncomfortable changing his baby niece. OP asked where his mother was and was told that she was napping.
OP then woke her sister-in-law up and reminded her that she had agreed to watch over her niece and requested that she fulfill her commitment.
They Needed to Make Changes
After her husband came home, OP discussed his family’s living arrangements with him. They both agreed that they needed to take action and decided to offer their family three options: start paying the amount on the lease, vacate the rental suite, or begin helping with household chores.
OP and her husband then took all the children to their mother-in-law’s house before sitting down with the family and having a conversation about their options.
The family clearly understood what was expected of them and how they could proceed with their living situation.
OP’s family accused her of being deceitful by having them sign a lease agreement and not collecting rent in order to evict them. However, OP clarified that eviction was not the only option.
She pointed out that her sister-in-law delegated responsibility to her 13-year-old son, which was not appropriate or responsible.
OP reminded the family that she was the primary breadwinner and essentially supporting them, and if they were unable to contribute financially or with household chores, they needed to either pay rent or find another living arrangement.
What Redditors Said
Reddit users overwhelmingly agree that OP is not a jerk for requesting her sister-in-law’s family to start paying rent, leave, or help with household chores. They argue that it is reasonable for OP to set boundaries and have a lease agreement in place to protect her property.
Most users also find it inappropriate for the sister to delegate babysitting to her 13-year-old son instead of fulfilling her own responsibilities.
One user wrote “Good on you for having the foresight to have a lease agreement. The horror stories are real and way too many people take advantage of the kindness of their family and friends. They are two adults. Either they pay rent, or they move out. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Some users suggest that OP should dissociate the eviction decision from the babysitting incident to avoid any appearance of vindictiveness.
Many users believe that the sister’s family is entitled and ungrateful for taking advantage of OP’s generosity. Some users suggest that if the family cannot contribute financially or with household chores, they should find another living arrangement.
What do you think? What should OP do now?
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The post She Was Tired of Her Freeloading Sister-In-Law, so She Told Her to Shape Up or Ship Out first appeared on Wealthy Living
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Source: Reddit