I Told My Husband to Stop Sending Money to His Mom—Now She’s Acting Like the Victim

Family relationships can be complicated, and money often makes things even messier. I never thought setting a simple boundary would turn into such a huge ordeal. If you’ve ever had to say “no” to a parent-in-law, you might relate to this story. Here’s what happened when my husband and I finally decided to stop being the family bank.

Hi Bright Side readers! Here’s the shocking discovery I made about my MIL that turned my world upside down. A little background — I’m Emma (32f), and my husband, Daniel (34m), and I have been married just over 5 months. We’ve been together for about 3 and a half years. During our dating period, Daniel told me how his mom would randomly call him asking for money, anywhere from $500 to $5000 at a time. Apparently, this had been going on for years. Daniel never thought much of it since he worked a well-paying job and could afford to help her out.

What puzzled me was that Daniel’s dad is a successful entrepreneur, and they apparently share joint bank accounts. So, it always seemed strange that Sarah kept turning to her son for cash.

When we got engaged, we talked about this issue seriously. Daniel promised me he’d try to put a stop to this all.

But then last week, my MIL called out of the blue, asking my husband for $12,000, saying she needed it urgently. This amount was too much! We’ve got our own bills and family to feed. So I persuaded my husband to say no. Furious, she texted me immediately, “You have no right to interfere!” I didn’t reply. I asked Daniel if his parents were having financial problems, and he assured me everything seemed fine.

Then today, my father-in-law called my husband. Something work-related. I casually asked my FIL if everything was okay at home. He seemed puzzled and asked what I meant. That’s when Daniel told him about the money requests.

He had no idea she’d been taking money from us. To my horror, I discovered she was secretly asking Daniel for cash withdrawals for months, without telling anyone, and for no apparent need. My FIL said he’ll confront her and demand answers.

My MIL claims I’ve ruined her life.

A few hours later, my MIL called me in tears, accusing me of ruining her life by “having a big mouth.” My FIL has since written us a check to repay the money and is now temporarily separated from Sarah until he can trust her again. Apparently, she wasn’t just asking US for money but also her friends and other relatives. Why? She secretly bought an apartment and has been paying the installments. She claims she bought the house for us and wanted to surprise us, but honestly? I’m having a hard time believing her.

Since then, some of Daniel’s relatives have been calling and saying I’m the bad guy in all this, for doubting my MIL and creating problems between her and my father-in-law. Is this really my fault?

In one of our previous letters, a grandma wrote to us, explaining why she refuses to babysit her grandkids for free. Read her story here: I Refuse to Change My Grandkids’ Diapers—I’m a Grandma, Not a Free Nanny