Upon returning home, a single mother observed her teenage daughter waiting anxiously in the living room, tears streaming down her face. Only upon entering the girl’s room did the mother understand why her daughter was distressed.
A single mother struggling with her adult son moving in with his heavily pregnant wife in tow turned to Reddit’s “AITA” sub in January 2021 for perspective after she was compelled to kick them out of her house.
Posting as Kimxxx45 on Reddit, the mom said she couldn’t hold herself together after seeing her son Dale, 22, and his wife team up to destroy the painful memories his little sister cherished.
The Original Poster (OP) said she belonged to a society that was particularly hard on single mothers. OP lost her husband when her daughter Kim was ten, and since then, life has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride. Although the people around OP expected her to give up, she stayed strong and bravely fought to give the best to her two children.
The mom was determined not to be a failure in her children’s eyes, and for this, she worked very hard. Over time, she became overly protective of the then 15-year-old Kim to the point where she never thought twice about dumping a male “friend” who was nice to her but was mean to her daughter. OP never put up with anyone who treated Kim poorly.
As she focused more on her girl, Dale and his pregnant wife temporarily moved in to stay with them. The real problem sparked after Dale’s wife developed a fetish for Kim’s personal space.
The expecting mom often invaded Kim’s privacy by walking into her room unannounced and laying her hands on her belongings. Sometimes, she’d even destroy Kim’s things. Although OP kept calm, she eventually realized Dale and his wife had slowly started transforming Kim’s room into a storage space for their baby’s stuff.
The mom was hurt and turned to Reddit for justice, asking random strangers online if her actions were wrong.
When asked to move the things to the storage room, Dale always talked OP out of it, saying their belongings might get damaged, which OP completely disagreed with. However, she thought their antics would end there, but they had only begun.
Shortly after moving in, Dale and his wife told OP they wished to stay a little longer after the delivery until the baby turned a few months old. “His wife suggested that my daughter move into my room and they take her room and turn it into a nursery,” recalled OP.
OP couldn’t believe Dale’s wife said this and refused to discuss the matter anymore. Although Dale understood, his wife didn’t. Unmoved by OP’s response, she tried convincing Kim to agree and give up her room for her “nephew.”
When Kim related the story to her mom, OP was so annoyed that she firmly asked Dale’s wife to stop annoying her daughter. Assuming it would end there, OP went about her work the next day but returned home to a terrible sight. “Kim was in the livingroom waiting for me. She was crying I was livid. Dale’s wife made her a sandwich to ‘calm her down’ [sic],” recounted OP.
After that, OP checked Kim’s room and saw her bed was gone. Kim’s favorite posters, closet, and some of the graphic art she put up with her dad had been removed. OP was enraged and immediately confronted Dale, who told her it was his wife’s idea and that he’d sort it out with her later.
An intense argument ensued between OP and her daughter-in-law, who added insult to injury by saying Kim could take the storage room if she wanted. Extremely annoyed, OP expelled Dale and his wife in the spur of the moment. Unbelievably, she was scrutinized by her mom and sister, who called her and accused her of playing favorites.
OP was upset when Dale told her his wife wanted to put the nursery in Kim’s room and share pictures on social media. The mom was hurt and turned to Reddit for justice, asking random strangers online if her actions were wrong.
Unsurprisingly, the post’s top-voted commenter type1error sided with OP and said she was an amazing mother who was compelled to make the painful decision to protect her daughter.
“You and your daughter were already making a great sacrifice sharing a home with a newborn. That wasn’t good enough,” the Redditor asserted, adding how it was unfair for Dale and his wife to expect everyone to sacrifice for their child.
User Accomplished_Hat_576 posted an insightful question stating: “Isn’t it generally recommended the baby sleep in the same room at least for the first couple months anyway?” Redditor lyralady was one of the first few who immediately raced to the thread to add:
“Six months is a minimum – I think the ideal is supposed to be a year of co-sleeping…A newborn absolutely doesn’t need a whole separate room to themselves.”
OP conclusively asserted that although she suggested Dale and his wife share their room with the baby, her daughter-in-law didn’t like the idea. “I suggested that but Dale’s wife didn’t like it. I understand that they’re struggling. But this has been Kim’s room since she was little. It’s her safe place,” the mom explained.
She despised how Dale and his wife didn’t think twice before destroying Kim’s memories of her dad. “She has a lot of memories with her dad in it. The posters they removed were put there by her and her dad. So these are her childhood memories they ruined. It’s not okay to do that,” OP concluded, determined to protect her daughter in all odds and evens.
A woman looking to check on her young daughter sitting in the bedroom. | Source: Pexels
Questions to Ponder:
Would you agree to vacate your child’s bedroom to accommodate a close family member or a guest?
OP said she lost her temper when she saw her son and daughter-in-law forcefully trying to take up her daughter’s room by moving her things out. In the end, OP kicked them out for destroying her daughter’s memories of her late dad. How would you react if you find a guest/family member doing the same to your daughter? Would you accommodate them in your child’s bedroom and move her elsewhere?
Do you think OP did justice to both her children as a single mom?
OP asserted how her life as a single mom was challenging, particularly after people she knew expected her to give up or fail miserably. However, she mustered the audacity to become a befitting example to her children and taught them to overcome challenges. Although her family accused her of playing favorites, OP was determined to surpass any bounds to protect her daughter. How would you deal with people blaming you for playing favorites with your children?
The Online Support
Click here to read another story about a mother-in-law who secretly installed a hidden camera in her son and his wife’s bedroom, and the wife only found out later.