I Refused to Let My MIL Eat Meat Under My Roof — My House, My Rules

Everyone has house rules. Shoes off at the door, no smoking inside... and for some, no meat. But what happens when the family doesn’t take those rules seriously? One mother-in-law found out the hard way when her vegan daughter-in-law decided enough was enough.

The story of our reader Emilyn.

"Hi Bright Side,

I’ve been a vegetarian for years, and my golden rule is no meat in my house. When my mother-in-law moved in after knee surgery, I made that boundary crystal clear. She smiled sweetly and said, “Of course, dear.”

But soon I started finding greasy pans shoved in the dishwasher, fast-food wrappers hidden in the trash, and one night I caught her microwaving chicken wings in my kitchen. When I confronted her, she shrugged: “You can’t control everyone. This isn’t just your house.

The next day, she told my husband I was ‘policing’ her and making her feel unwelcome. Instead of backing me up, he said I was being ‘too rigid’ and should just ‘let her live.’ Then he dropped the bomb — if I couldn’t compromise, maybe I should be the one to stay elsewhere until things cooled off.

The following morning, I walked downstairs and saw a suitcase by the door. For a second, I thought my mother-in-law had packed to leave. But when I looked closer, I realized it wasn’t hers — it was mine. My husband had packed it for me.

What should I do?

Emylin”

Thank you for sharing your story — it’s clear that this situation has deeply affected your family. Whether or not you feel you were wrong, the emotional distance and conflict are now very real, and the challenge now is how to move forward thoughtfully and constructively. Here are four pieces of advice that could help you.

Admit that everyone including you can be wrong.

Admitting fault helps cut through the hurt, makes others feel safer in the relationship, and allows both parties to move past the conflict.

Refusing to admit being wrong is often tied to pride, fear of shame, or maintaining a rigid sense of being “right” — all things that prolong conflict and prevent emotional repair.

Intellectual humility (recognizing one’s own limits, including being wrong) strengthens relationships, improves trust, and promotes more open, honest conflict resolution.

Recognize that shared spaces come with shared authority.

Even if you feel justified in setting household rules, words like “This house is also my father’s house” signal that he may feel sidelined or disrespected in family decisions. The tension might not be about meat at all, but about his sense of being excluded from authority within a shared home.

Next step: Invite him into a calm, face-to-face conversation. Suggest working together to establish household expectations that honor both of your values. Think of it not as giving in, but as building a partnership.

Draw a clear line between boundaries and control.

Saying “Don’t come here if you don’t follow my rules” to anyone who lives with you may have felt like laying down the law. Being vegan in your own home is a valid choice. Imposing it as an absolute on others navigating loyalty, grief, or identity is likely to backfire.

Action: Introduce zones or compromises — e.g., “No meat in the kitchen, but if you order something, eat it so I don’t see it.” This gives space without changing your values.

Stop framing this as ‘I Did Nothing Wrong’ — and start asking what needs repair.

Clinging to “I did nothing wrong” might preserve your pride, but it won’t bring your husband or stepdaughter back. Justified or not, the hurt they feel is real.

What to do: Reflect not only on the rule itself, but on how it was communicated. An apology doesn’t mean abandoning your vegan values — it means saying, “I’m sorry I made you feel unwelcome in your own home. That was never my intention.” Sometimes, that small acknowledgment can be the first step toward reopening a closed door.

Despite all the tensions we might face, there is also a lot of kindness in the world.

Here are 15 Stories That Prove Kindness Runs in Some People’s Veins.