Three years ago, 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.
This couple, for example, suffered greatly in 2020 when the wife had to leave her job to homeschool their three children – this meant that the family was missing out on a large chunk of income.
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.
How did the family become homeless?
At first, the mother agreed to let her family stay in two bedrooms at her home, but later took away the offer once she discovered that they had been evicted and had no place to live.
The couple, who was now homeless, became desperate as they searched for homeless shelters that would be able to accommodate them and their kids. This proved to be difficult, given that many other families also found themselves homeless due to the circumstances brought about by the pandemic.
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. She was extremely frustrated and hurt that her sister-in-law could treat them so horribly, especially since she had inherited the house she was living in from her late father and had even skipped paying taxes for half a decade.
The couple were determined not to let their difficult situation get the better of them, and worked diligently to create a better life for their three young children.
The couple turned their lives around
Eventually, they managed to get their fresh start, building a new 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
The mother-in-law was in a sticky situation, having reduced hours at work and no retirement benefits, she was close to being evicted from her home. She’d received a notice of lease termination, as well as two eviction letters.
She became desperate, approaching her son and daughter-in-law to ask if she could stay with them. The wife recalled: “She came here yesterday afternoon and asked us if she could stay here.”
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 to her son, hoping for support, but he took his wife’s side and chose not to help – he, too, had grown resentful because his mother had allowed her grandchildren to live in a van for four months. She had promised them a place to stay, but when the time came, she abandoned her family.
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.
What do you think about this sticky situation? Let us know!
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