I’ve been dealing with a challenging situation for the past year. My mother-in-law moved in with us under the impression that it would be temporary. Due to health reasons but has been healed for over 6 months. It was initially meant to be a short-term arrangement, but it has become long-term. Since her move, our family life has significantly changed. We used to be a close-knit family of three (my husband, our 9-year-old son, and me), but now our privacy is non-existent. My mother-in-law often yells at my son more than necessary and closely monitors everything we do, as her room is centrally located. She tells me how to parent an example would be; the other night my son was mad he had to get off his game so he was throwing a little fit. I went to go in his room and she yelled at me to stop and let him fuss. Her parenting was a joke from what her son has told me. I feel like I am shouldering all household responsibilities alone, which I never minded when it was just us 3, life was happy then. She has even started asking me to do things for my husband before he can even speak for himself, which makes me uncomfortable. Her presence has also led to tension between my husband and me. He spends more time at work and seems to be struggling with the situation too. I’m worried about the effect on our son, who seems to be more stressed and disconnected from his father. Additionally, my mother-in-law has her own house that she still pays for and her daughter and other grandchildren elsewhere, and I feel she’s becoming increasingly dependent on us. I’m concerned about my mental health and my son’s well-being. I don’t have a strong support network and am unsure how to address this with my husband, who can be difficult when discussing sensitive topics. I’m contemplating whether separation might be the only solution, but I’m unsure if that’s the best course of action. Has anyone experienced a similar situation? How did you handle it, and what strategies did you use to cope or resolve the issues? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I'm so sorry you are dealing with this! We brought my dad into our home in November. It has totally changed our lives too. Our cat died in December. We think it could have been kidney issues, but we are unsure. Recently, my dad stepped on our German Shepherd mix that is 14 years old. It's not hard to see her. She already has arthritis. My dad scared her a lot by slapping his leg. Not sure why that is. My husband and I are having issues too. Our marriage wasn't the best when we decided to bring him here. I kept asking God for help with everything. My dad is up already. He has been up since probably about 2:30 this morning. The sleep supplements and medicine don't seem to work at all! I too feel like I am doing everything! Info all the clean you, showers, washing, most of the cleaning. It's a lot! I'm not sure what the answer is. My husband is also hard to talk to. Guess it depends on if you love him enough to stay with it. Do you have another place to stay? I currently don't have a really good paying job so I'm here for now. I don't want to lose our dog either. Hopefully on Sept 30th, my dad can move into a memory care home if everything goes smoothly!
I wish you all the best for you and your family! This is so difficult for everyone!
🙏🙏🙏❤️🙏🙏🙏
AND regardless - set up son and mom time and son and father time - no excuses, DO IT!