When Lexie’s husband’s parents are left to give up their home due to losing their jobs, they are left stranded. Seeing her husband’s distress at being unable to help, Lexie allows her mother to welcome them to stay with her. Things start off okay, but then the tables start to turn. Instead of being grateful, they start to complain about everything, resulting in a call to social services.
Not long after Cameron and I got married, his parents were faced with unfortunate circumstances. His mom, Jessica, and dad, Roger had no choice but to give up their home because Roger had lost his job.
An elderly couple sitting on a bench | Source: Unsplash
Cameron and I didn’t have the space to take them in. But they were desperate, and so were we. We couldn’t let them just try and figure it out for themselves.
When they realized that my mother lives alone, they asked her to let them move in with her. My mom had a double-story house, but due to being wheelchair bound since a car accident a few years ago, she had a live-in nurse to care for her.
A broken windshield | Source: Pexels
“Please, Tanya,” my mother-in-law said when we were all at my mother’s house for dinner. “We don’t have anywhere else to go. And we don’t have any money available at the moment.”
I knew that this entire thing affected my husband because there was only so much we could do in our own capacity. When my mother agreed, Cameron gripped onto my hand tightly and sighed in relief.
A woman in a wheelchair | Source: Midjourney
“Of course, you can stay here. You can stay for as long as you need to,” my mother told them.
At first, things were okay.
My mother-in-law cooked meals, and my father-in-law mowed the grass and took care of the basic upkeep of the house.
A person cutting oranges | Source: Pexels
But then, things changed and social services got involved. It was a nightmare.
This is what happened.
My in-laws began complaining that my mom was occupying the whole first floor, something that was obvious. Since her accident, my sister and I had converted the first floor into an entire house by itself for my mother.
A wheelchair beside a bed | Source: Pexels
She needed her space, and we were going to give it to her. The second floor was for our space when we visited Mom.
Instead of being grateful, my in-laws complained that they couldn’t put their stuff there. They mumbled about the simple food my mother had in her fridge.
An open fridge | Source: Pexels
“It’s such basic foods. There’s nothing new or different here,” Roger would say.
But still, even though they complained, they didn’t try to buy their own food or food that they would have liked to eat on occasion.
An elderly couple shopping | Source: Pexels
Nothing changed when Jessica got a job as head librarian at the local library or when Roger got a job as a proofreader for the local newspaper.
“Don’t you think they should start looking for a new place?” Cameron asked me when we were taking a walk one evening.
An elderly woman in a library | Source: Pexels
“I’m sure your mom cannot wait to have the house back,” he said.
“Actually,” I replied. “I think she enjoys having people there. She always said that it was too quiet with just her and Linda.”
“Yeah, I get that,” he said. “But my parents can be a lot.”
A couple taking a walk | Source: Pexels
It was as if my husband had spoken it into existence.
One day, as I went over to my mother’s house with pastries, I found her looking upset.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her immediately.
Pastries in a box | Source: Pexels
“Cameron’s parents,” she began slowly. “They’ve been hinting about a nursing home for me. I heard them talk about it last night, too.”
“Mom, do you want me to ask them to leave? They’re crossing the line,” I said, worried about her well-being.
A woman holding her face | Source: Unsplash
“Oh, honey,” she said, a mysterious smile forming on her face. “I’ll take care of everything, don’t you worry.”
A few days later, my mother-in-law called us crying.
“How could Tanya do that to us?” she asked.
A crying old woman | Source: Pexels
Apparently, my mother had told them to pack their things and move to the first floor because she was ready to move into a nursing home. She said that she needed the help and that she wanted to live a little easier.
Cameron’s parents thought that they had won the battle they created.
A healthcare facility | Source: Unsplash
Instead, my mother had called social services, telling them that she had two individuals who were living with her temporarily but needed the help.
The next day, people from social services arrived at my mother’s doorstep, ready to take Jessica and Roger away to their social housing facilities.
A person holding a phone | Source: Pexels
They were livid.
Cameron and I met them at my mother’s house because they demanded an audience.
“This is outrageous! We thought we were moving downstairs, not out of the house!” my mother-in-law shrieked.
An angry old woman | Source: Pexels
“How dare she trick us like this! We have done everything for her these past few months,” my father-in-law added.
Beside me, my husband flinched. He was caught in the middle, not knowing what to do or how to react.
“You took advantage of her kindness and tried to push her into a nursing home. You got what you deserved,” I retorted, barely containing my own anger at their words.
An angry old man | Source: Pexels
“You can’t just throw us out like this!” my mother-in-law protested.
“You’ve got a little place to live now,” my mother said, smiling. “But also, that’s not my problem. I helped you out, and you did nothing but complain. You didn’t want to be here. You were just here because you had no choice. Now, you can learn to fend for yourselves.”
Jessica was appalled. I don’t think she expected my mother to retaliate in that way.
A smiling woman in a wheelchair | Source: Unsplash
It was true, social services housed them in a little apartment which was close to both their jobs. They would be absolutely fine until they chose to move elsewhere.
As they left, they continued to curse, but it was clear that they had been defeated by the whole episode.
A small apartment | Source: Unsplash
“I’m sorry,” my husband told my mother when we settled her down again. “This was all my fault.”
It took a while for my mother to calm him down and make him realize that nothing was his fault.
“Your parents needed a place to stay, and they were welcome to do so here, but they continued to complain. They made life difficult here. Everything was a problem,” she said.
An upset man | Source: Unsplash
I continued to work my way around the kitchen while they spoke. I knew that my husband needed a pick-me-up, so I made his favorite Indian dishes, hoping that it would do the trick.
If I had to admit it, I also felt like it was my fault. I should have objected to the move in the first place. But I knew that my in-laws needed a place to live when they lost their homes. And maybe it was because of guilt.
A plate of food | Source: Unsplash
Guilt born from the mere fact that Cameron and I couldn’t do it ourselves, that we both had allowed them to live with my mother.
As we got into bed that night, I told my husband that we needed to see his parents. We needed to make sure that they were okay, despite their horrible behavior, they needed to know that we still cared.
A couple lying together | Source: Unsplash
The following day, we met them at their new apartment. It was a quaint little place, but it was just enough for the two of them. As we walked in, there were boxes lying everywhere and the smell of burnt toast permeated the air.
“I didn’t check the toaster setting,” Roger said, as his way of explaining.
Opened cardboard boxes | Source: Midjourney
We ended up taking them to a café for lunch, where they admitted to their behavior.
“We were in the wrong,” my mother-in-law said. “We know that now. We saw an easy way to live with Tanya, and we just wanted more. But now, we have to make it work for ourselves.”
An interior of a coffee shop | Source: Unsplash
I dug into my pancakes while Cameron let his parents have a piece of his mind. He went on about how they needed to be responsible for their actions and that nothing would make up for their behavior toward my mother.
“You embarrassed me. And you took advantage of my wife’s mother,” he said. “Do you know how that makes me feel?”
A stack of pancakes | Source: Unsplash
I allowed him to talk his way through it, while his parents continued to eat their eggs benedict in silence.
As we drove home, my husband stopped to get my mother a bouquet of flowers.
“She deserves it,” he said.
A bouquet of flowers | Source: Unsplash
What would you have done?
If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you |
When Katie discovers that her mother-in-law has been making strange dolls for her daughter, she confronts the old woman, only to discover that she has been holding onto grief for her entire life. But what does that mean for the mysterious dolls? And the little girl who plays with them?
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
Mom assumes baby is safe with dad till she gets a hair rasing text message – she rushes home to see the worst
A significant turning point in many people’s lives is becoming parents. Another human person needs you to be there for them at all times, and they depend entirely on you. However, not everyone is prepared for this level of accountability.
Continue reading to learn more.Angie Setlak was really anxious when she was expecting her son, Xavier. She tried to devote all of her attention to their young son because her partner had been unfaithful.
She had imagined that all would change after the baby boy was born, but that fantasy quickly gave way to a nightmare. She got a message from her partner one day. She didn’t have much time to save their son’s life once she received the message.The worst fear for any parent is that their small child may suffer harm.
No matter how big or small your child is, as a parent you will stop at nothing to ensure their safety.
However, on rare occasions, we also learn of people who are not at all qualified to be parents.
When everything went wrong, Angie Setlak was expecting her and her boyfriend’s kid, Xavier. Her partner was not at all interested in her, even though she was counting down the seconds as her tummy continued to swell.He was unfaithful all the time, breaking Angie’s heart over and over.So things turned upside down again when the son was delivered four weeks early.
His father’s infidelity caused us to have a stressful pregnancy, which had an impact on both the baby and my blood pressure. However, we succeeded, and he was born perfectly healthy. The physicians, who had predicted he would remain in my womb until his due date, were taken aback when he erupted in a fit of rage. After spending 16 days in the hospital, we returned home, and I had three wonderful months at home with my child,” Angie says to Love What Matters.One individual, though, found it difficult to adjust to the new existence.His father and Xavier were left alone one day. Furthermore, Xavier’s father, who was expected to look after the child while mother Angie returned to her job, was unable to cope.Angie was going to start her first job after her maternity leave when she went through something that nobody should have to go through.
She received numerous texts from her partner throughout the day complaining about how hard it was to care for their son. “Xavier’s father had been texting me all day about how difficult his life was, and I assured him that we would find a different way so he wouldn’t have to look after him by himself during the day. She tells the website that during his parental leave, he had only spent a maximum of two hours by himself with him, and it had gone well.The arrangement was for me to look after Xavier during the day while I worked, and for him to look after him at night while he worked. He worked evenings. My spouse kept telling me that everything would be well, even though I was really anxious about the scenario because, after all, he had raised a 10-year-old.But everything changed when the message arrived.He sent his girlfriend a startling text later that day in which Xavier’s father requested whether he might kill the boy. “I received a text from him on my first day back at work after taking maternity leave, asking if he could kill our child right away. I told him I was heading home and asked him not to bother.
Not too long afterward, she got another message.Xavier’s breathing stopped.Mom Angie hurried to the hospital after the small child was taken there immediately.The father insisted that their son had choked on milk, even though the boy had brain damage.Angie soon found out, though.Xavier spent two weeks in a medically induced coma to aid him. They warned his mother that he might not wake up and gradually weaned him off of his medication. We battled against two foes. Trauma and the period of time his brain was devoid of oxygen. I heard everything from “he might never learn to walk, talk, or move” to “he might be blind.” But I remained confident that he will return to me,” the mother remarked. Angie was able to go home with her son after spending 17 days in the hospital.
In contrast, Xavier’s father was taken into custody on charges of abusing his child.Angie claims that the police believed the father had given Xavier a violent shaking that seriously injured his brain.Xavier has had more surgeries since then and is getting stronger every day. The wonderful little Xavier is the only person in his mother Angie’s life; his father has been absent for a long time.”I’m hoping that someone who reads our narrative would be moved to tears and understand how crucial it is to never shake a newborn. You should never, ever shake a baby. Avoiding it is quite simple. My child was irreparably altered by a fit of rage.
This story really breaks my heart. How could the father of a kid commit such a horrific act? Spread the word about this to increase awareness.
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