Mother-in-law demands son and his wife pay to support her luxurious lifestyle
I firmly believe setting boundaries with in-laws is important to lead a life without many issues. Several stories of intruding in-laws disrupting the family’s peace and creating fights are popular on the internet.
Recently, I came across a Mumsnet post where the author shared her entitled mother-in-law’s demands. Since the author didn’t mention names, I’ll call her Kate, her husband Rick, and her mother-in-law Claire.
Claire claims to have no money yet leads a comfortable lifestyle by working part-time and after having paid off her mortgage. While she cries about her struggles to Rick and Kate, Claire frequently spends on luxuries like restaurants, nail appointments, and gym memberships.
Claire also insists on going on family outings, which mostly include expensive events like theme parks and children’s theater, but doesn’t spend a cent. In fact, she doesn’t even pay for her drink, tickets, or food and claims Rick should do it.
Claire often cites that her friends’ children pay for their parents’ life and desires Rick to provide for her. She believes grandparents are not expected to pay for activities with their grandchildren.
In contrast, Kate’s parents enjoy treating the family, which is why she feels Claire is acting entitled. But Kate is unsure how to navigate these situations without causing offense or being perceived as unkind. She wonders if it is customary to pay for a grandparent’s participation in such events.
Should children pay for their parents’ luxurious life?
I don’t think it is wrong to help out parents who need financial assistance. In fact, I think it shouldn’t be a problem if the child can afford it and the parent is struggling to make ends meet.
Here, it is clear that the author’s mother-in-law earns well for herself but still demands her son pay, which, to me, sounds like she is taking advantage of him.
Other Mumsnet users also disagree with the author’s mother-in-law’s claim that “children should pay for parents.” One of them commented, “ Both sets of grandparents used to pay for outings. So we used to alternate. We pay for one and they for the next. I bet her friends don’t all go for free.”
What do you think? Should the author and her husband pay for her mother-in-law’s outing? Share your thoughts below.
