Most parents make significant sacrifices so that their children can have the best opportunities and experiences, often without expecting much in return. Unfortunately, some adults only look out for themselves, and, as a result, might put a lot of unnecessary pressure on their kids.
This is what one greedy grandma did because she was annoyed that her dutiful son wasn’t sending her as much money as he used to. Eventually, she took things too far, which made her daughter-in-law step in and give her a reality check.
More info: Reddit
The extreme demands of a toxic parent might end up putting a lot of pressure on their innocent children
Image credits: karlyukav / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster explained that her husband had always been the “responsible” one and helped his mother and sister out financially for years
Image credits: syda_productions / Freepik (not the actual photo)
After the poster and her husband got married, he decided to send less money to his mother and siblings, which left his mom feeling annoyed, and she kept bringing it up
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Eventually, the elderly lady tried to manipulate her grandson to talk to his dad and convince him to send her extra money, which the poster got to know about
Image credits: NotaKarennamedKaren
The poster told her mother-in-law not to use the teen as a pawn, and that since she had only given them a $10 wedding gift, she didn’t deserve monetary help
It seems like the OP’s husband had always been ready to help his mother and sister out financially, without them even having to ask him. It’s only after he got married and decided on starting a family that he began to send them less money, based on what he could afford.
According to studies, even though 92% of adults in the U.S. don’t expect any monetary support from their kids, 39% of children are willing to cover their parents’ expenses. This goes to show that many people wish to look after their aging parents, and that helping them out financially is one way of doing it.
This is exactly what the man had been doing for his mother, and even after he got married, he didn’t stop supporting her; he just reduced the amount of money he sent. Unfortunately, she wasn’t happy with this change and kept bringing up the fact that she wanted him to send more cash her way.
Even though most adult children might want to be there for their parents, it might not always be in their capacity to cover all their expenses. That’s why experts state that the best way to deal with financially demanding parents is to figure out if there is any other way to support them, or only contribute what you can to help with their short-term needs.
Image credits: namii9 / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The OP knew about her mother-in-law’s greed when it came to money, but she was shocked when the woman stooped to new lows by manipulating her grandchild. She told the teen to let his dad know how much she missed the extra cash he sent her, especially now that she was getting older.
When the woman overheard this, she decided to give her in-law a reality check and first told her not to use the teen as a pawn. She also reminded the older lady that she had only given them $10 as a wedding gift, which is why she was definitely not deserving of all the money she kept demanding from her son.
It can be difficult to deal with toxic parents like this, but professionals state that the best way to handle their behavior is by taking a break from them for a while. This can help you calm down, instead of getting drawn into arguments, and you’ll then be better able to set boundaries with them.
The woman made sure to put her mother-in-law in her place, but she ended up getting a lot of backlash from her in-laws, who felt that she had been rude. Luckily, her husband was on her side even though he thought she had been a bit harsh to his mom.
Do you think the woman handled this situation correctly, or should she have set boundaries in a different way with her mother-in-law? We love to hear your thoughts on this story.
Folks were glad that the poster stood up to the older woman and urged her to stay firm with her boundaries
