The mother-in-law lives (MIL) four hours away from the daughter and her family and decided to sell her house and move closer. The daughter went to the new place to get work and painting done while her husband and 6-year-old daughter went to help MIL move. The husband is the original poster (OP) of this problem.
MIL is known to have a big mouth and say inappropriate things but was initially polite. However, she and OP ended up having an argument that evening. The granddaughter didn’t eat dinner because she had a stomach ache. But MIL demanded that she help clean the kitchen while allowing her father to relax. The daughter went to sleep and woke up a little later than usual. MIL commented that the granddaughter is lazy like her mother.
While packing boxes, OP overheard MIL tell his daughter that her mother tried to abort her. The MIL actually wanted her to get an abortion because she didn’t want her daughter to get fat. The granddaughter was upset after hearing this, so he took her out to lunch and the beach to talk to her about it and take a break from the toxic environment. The daughter also spoke to her mother on the phone to help calm her down. In that conversation, the daughter said the grandmother also told her not to get fat like her mother.
He Decided They Had Enough
The OP was so angry he gathered their belongings and left. But outside remained some large boxes and several pieces of furniture. MIL tried to hire movers, but nobody was available. It rained overnight, and everything was ruined.
The brother-in-law was furious, called him names, and sent him a bill for $4,000 for the ruined furniture. The move took place, and now he has received another handwritten letter saying he will be sued if he doesn’t pay.
Should He Have Finished the Job? Readers Speak Out
There wasn’t a single comment that believed OP was wrong for leaving.
“Yes your honor, I’m suing my son in law for damages. He left because I intentionally inflicted emotional trauma on his daughter. No, he wasn’t being paid for this work. No, he was under no contractual obligation to complete the job. No, I made no effort to cover my own items with tarps, garbage bags, etc when I realized it was raining.” Yeah, I don’t see that playing out real well for her in court.”
“At a minimum please never let her near your daughter again!”
“My jaw dropped twice while reading this post. NTA, I’d definitely go no contact or at least very-strong-boundaries-in-place low contact, bc that woman is going to hurt your daughter emotionally. It’s one thing for you & your wife to be hurt by her, bc you’re adults and can pick what you can handle, but your little girl can’t. I’m sorry OP. What a nightmare.”
Could He Have Handled it Better?
Even after everything MIL said to his daughter, OP still wonders if he should have finished moving whatever was outside before he left.
Several readers chimed in and said if they were in his position, they would have left much earlier than he did.
“He handled it as best as he could, honestly. He didn’t want to start a war with his MIL but she had crossed a line, so he got his daughter out, talked to her about it, talked to his wife. When it sank in that this was unforgivable, they went back to pack up and leave her.”
What do you think? Should he have moved the rest of the furniture or covered it with tarp before leaving? Should OP pay for the furniture that was damaged?
This article was produced by This Mom is On Fire
This story and comments originally appeared on Reddit.
Feature Image credit: Elnur via Canva.com