Few things are as universal as family drama. Everyone has experienced it at some point. However, one family took it to a new level with their living situation.
An anonymous woman took to Reddit to share what she experienced because of her son and his ex-girlfriend.
She provided background information, explaining that she has two grandchildren, with two more on the way. One of her grandchildren is her son’s wife’s child, and the other is his ex-girlfriend’s. Her daughter-in-law is currently pregnant with twins.
Despite going through a breakup, the woman’s son and his ex-girlfriend are on good terms. She now has a total of four children, as she “started dating another man and had three more kids… with him.”
Unfortunately, the situation with the new boyfriend was not a good one.
“To put it briefly, her new partner was an awful person,” the woman said. They broke up, and the ex-girlfriend found herself at the only place she thought she could go for help — the woman’s son’s house.
“My son and daughter-in-law were kind enough to let them temporarily stay at their home rent-free until she found somewhere else,” she said.
However, it turned out that the son and his wife’s living situation was only temporary. The woman stated, “My son and his wife had been having financial troubles ever since their daughter was born premature, and with the twins on the way, I thought they would be in need of a larger home.”
This is where the woman was happy to step in and help. “In the 1990s, I inherited a spacious house from my grandparents,” she shared. “It’s so large that it can technically be considered a mansion.”
It was decided that her son and daughter-in-law would move into the “mansion” with her. This would benefit everyone as it would allow her son and daughter-in-law to get back on their feet financially and would fix the fact that “this house is way too big for one woman.”
There’s only one problem.
“My son’s ex and her kids would not be allowed to join them,” she said. “My grandson would be allowed to stay if he has no other place to go, but the rest of the family have nothing to do with me.” She further elaborated on the situation, and said, “Don’t get me wrong, I have empathy for her situation, but at the end of the day, they’re not my family, and I worry about potential tensions that could arise.”
The ex-girlfriend did not take this very well.
“The ex is absolutely livid with me for trying to ‘tear apart’ her family,” the woman said. “I explained to her that it was my house, my rules.”
Comments on the post were largely in favor of the woman’s line of thinking. “Sure, her situation is awful, but you’re not obligated to shelter her and three kids that aren’t related to you at all,” one person said.
Another person brought up how it could affect their family if she allowed the ex-girlfriend and her children to move in. “Really, can you imagine?” they asked. “She would 100% try to treat her ex as a husband and expect him to do for her like he’s doing for his actual wife.”
Some may feel that what the woman is doing is selfish when someone is clearly in need of help. However, she has to take care of her own family and consider what is best for them.
Offering to help her son and his wife does not extend to her son’s ex-girlfriend. Is it the best thing for her grandson? Probably, not. But if her son wanted his ex to continue living with them it would be his obligation to find alternate arrangements.
It is not this woman’s responsibility even if it seems uncaring on the surface.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.
