The following evening, my husband arrived home much later than usual. When he finally called, he was crying:
“You have to come to Mom’s house right now. She’s locked herself in the bathroom and won’t come out until we agree to her terms.”
When I got there, I could hear her dramatically sobbing, insisting she was “unloved.” She had spent the entire day ringing my husband at work, claiming she was being abandoned by her own family.
My husband was frantic — she convinced him that by refusing her demands, we were basically wishing for her to become homeless… even though she already owns her home.
What infuriated me further was learning she had been telling neighbors and relatives that we were “cruel and heartless” for not helping her. She conveniently omitted the fact that she spent $150,000 on her other daughter’s college and down payment for a house — while we struggled to pay for our wedding.
Her bathroom theatrics dragged on for three hours. Every now and then, she’d yell through the door about how she had “sacrificed everything” for her kids and deserved better. Eventually, I calmly told her that we were leaving and she could contact us when she was ready to have a mature discussion. That was the only thing that made her come out.
Since that day, she has rotated between guilt trips and silent treatment — trying any manipulation tactic she can think of to wear us down. My husband is torn between supporting me and avoiding a fight with his mother, and it’s putting a heavy strain on our marriage.
I adore my husband, but I refuse to pay for someone else’s retirement while we’re trying to build our own life.
I’m asking for advice: how do we manage this situation without completely destroying family relationships?
Source: brightside.me
