In 2020, many of us went through some significant changes as we had to learn to become accustomed to the new norm after COVID-19.
Many had to experience homeschooling and hybrid work situations, something that created immense stress.
From having stable jobs in 2019, a couple suddenly struggled to pay rent in 2020 after the wife was forced to homeschool their children. As she could no longer juggle her work responsibilities, she found herself jobless and without a source of income.
What Happened to the Family?
Prior to this, the couple had relied on their combined incomes to help cover their basic living expenses like rent and bills. Though, after the wife left work to care for their children, the family-of-five could no longer afford to keep a roof over their heads. Because of this, they asked to stay with the husband’s mother temporarily while they worked on sorting out their financial situation.
Initially, the woman agreed to let them use two bedrooms in her home. However, she backed out when she discovered they were evicted and had no place to live.
Frustrated and without a home, the husband and wife searched for homeless shelters that could take them along with their three children. Given the COVID-19 situation, finding an open shelter was extremely difficult.
Four months went by, with this family resorting to living in their van during this time. Eventually they did manage to secure a place in a homeless shelter, but the mother-in-law kept her distance, and this caused the relationship between her and the husband and wife to break down.
Given the fragile situation, the husband and wife couldn’t help but feel resentful towards the mother-in-law, who could have chosen to help them in their hour of need. To make matters worse, the husband’s sister made them feel awkward when they would ask to come and shower at her home, even though they’d offered to pay.
“We were treated as if we were undesirables, simply because we were over 30, had three kids, and were struggling,” the wife said. It frustrated her that these criticisms came from her sister-in-law, who inherited her house from her late dad and hadn’t paid her taxes in at least four years.
What Did the Couple Do?
Their harrowing situation motivated the couple to work hard. They didn’t want their children to grow up in such a traumatizing environment, so they persevered to get back on their feet.
Eventually, they were able to build a home from scratch.
Both the husband and wife managed to secure regular employment, and they started their own business so that they could generate more income. These steps would hopefully prevent them from becoming homeless again.
Going from living in their van to having stable finances made the husband and wife incredibly proud of themselves, especially as they’d managed to achieve it all without the help of their families.
Though, as the old saying goes, what goes around comes around… It wasn’t long before the mother-in-law knocked on her son and daughter-in-law’s new home when life threw a curveball her way. However, they hadn’t forgotten how she’d treated them.
The mother-in-law asked for help
One day, the wife discovered her mother-in-law was in a sticky situation. Due to her slow-paced work, she was demoted to part-time, and the government stripped her retirement.
She was on the verge of being evicted from her home. She received a lease termination letter and two notices of eviction.
Desperate and with nowhere else to turn, the woman knocked on her son and daughter-in-law’s new home. “She came here yesterday afternoon and asked us if she could stay here,” the woman said of her mother-in-law.
Even though the situation was sad, the wife couldn’t help but find it ironic that the same woman who had turned them away when they were homeless was now asking them for help.
“There’s no chance of that happening,” she apparently told her mother-in-law, who was offended by the response.
The woman looked at her son, hoping for him to defend her. But all she got was a blank stare and firm body language that he was siding with his wife and not her.
Her son had grown resentful for how she allowed her grandchildren to sleep in a van for four months. She promised them a place to sleep, but when they needed it, she bailed on them.
The mother-in-law left their home in tears, claiming that the two situations were “entirely different.” She ran to her daughter and told her what had happened, and it wasn’t long before the daughter called her brother to criticize him for not helping their mother.
While it’s unclear why the daughter couldn’t have her own mother stay with her, the husband and wife stood their ground and chose not to accept the mother’s request – suggesting that she go to a nursing home instead.
Their friends found their decision a little harsh when they discovered what had happened, but people on the internet are backing the husband and wife.
“Let SIL deal with mommy dearest. Seems a fitting end for them all,” one person commented on Facebook.
“If your husband agrees with you, there is nothing mean about it. She chose not to help you. SIL can take her in,” another user added.
