Overworked, And Taken Advantage By His In-Laws, Redditor Finds Himself Conflicted After Getting His MIL Arrested Over $150

"This was a setback I couldn’t afford and I was livid she would betray us like that"

Kylin

• Published in Interesting
• May 9, 2023

Getting married is more than just a big party, fancy outfits, and a ceremony where your loved ones watch you and your partner commit to loving each other. Sure, the wedding is definitely a fun event to plan to celebrate your marriage, but there’s so much more.

You’re promising to spend the rest of your life with your spouse. That means learning to work through the good and the bad, highs and lows, and actively choosing to continue to love the person you married.

It doesn’t stop there, though; there’s also your significant other's family who will be incorporated into yours. Like the old saying, when you marry someone, you marry their entire family.

While many people have a decent and overall positive relationship with their in-laws, there’s definitely a reason why the evil mother-in-law trope exists. And one Redditor ended up with his own version of terrible in-laws.

User BallsHangLowAF recently turned to Reddit’s Am I The A-Hole community (r/AITA) with an in-law dispute that he felt conflicted about after the fact, although this is no usual terrible in-law story. Even after letting his in-laws move in, and having to work a second job to support them, his mother-in-law continued to take advantage of their generosity and intentionally stole money from him.

The theft was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, and he blew up and called the police to report the crime. However, once he was feeling calmer and listened to his very angry wife, he became conflicted about his reaction.

Continue scrolling to read the full story, and see whether Reddit deemed OP to be the a-hole in this scenario.

Initially, OP earned a comfortable wage at his job, but his in-laws ended up losing their house

So, OP had to pick up a second job after his in-laws moved in with them

Recently, MIL asked OP's wife for help with groceries, which she agreed to without talking to OP first

Understandably, OP was angry that she agreed to help without talking to him first

He told his wife that they weren't going to pay for their groceries, and thought that was that

He ended up being guilted into agreeing to pay for their groceries

OP and MIL agreed on $150, and that they would revisit to see if he had more once bills were paid

So when OP found out they had spent over $300, he blew up

OP's wife has expensive physical therapy twice a week, so they don't have the money to spare

OP has their finances tightly budgeted so he can afford to take time off work in the future should his wife need surgery

Feeling betrayed, OP called the police and told them that he wanted to press charges

Now his wife is livid with him, saying he should have talked to her first

His wife's poor reaction had him second-guessing his actions

Everyone sucks for various reasons, including OP

There needs to be a compromise where OP isn't the sole income earner

OP and his wife need to get on the same page

It's likely that this isn't the first time MIL has stolen

I shared many of the same questions

The in-laws have definitely over stayed their welcome

It is past time for OP to enforce boundaries

Starting with giving the in-laws a move out deadline

They have shown that they will continue to take more and more

OP's in-laws, and his wife, are financially abusing him

OP needs to make sure his wife knows she cannot make these decisions unilaterally

MIL is most definitely an entitled a-hole

Would this be worth divorce?

Is there any warning that his in-laws would take seriously though?

Most banks would require a police report for theft in order to get the money back

Why is OP's wife so afraid to tell her mom no?

OP's wife needs to reassess her priorities

Many folks wouldn't have been as brave as OP to report this

There’s no denying that OP has been more than accommodating and supportive of his in-laws. It’s unfortunate that they seem to see his support as an invitation to continue to demand and take more.

What would you do if you were in OP’s place? Would you give a stern warning or report the theft to the police? Would they continue to be welcomed in your home or kicked out onto the street?

We want to know your thoughts, so be sure to drop a comment below! 

Kylin