Woman Says Mother-in-Law Got ‘Offended’ When She Told Her to Stop Letting Herself into Her Home: ‘Not an Open Invitation’

A woman is looking for answers after her mother-in-law developed a habit of dropping by unannounced — sometimes at all hours.

In a post on Reddit’s “Am I The A——?” forum, she explained that her husband’s mom often shows up simply “because she was in the neighborhood.”

The woman said they have a keypad lock on their front door, which they occasionally share with her mother-in-law so she can check on the house while they’re away. However, once she has the code, she keeps using it whenever she wants.

“We’ve already changed the code twice because of this, but I don’t want to have to keep changing it every time we give her access to the house,” the woman wrote, adding that constantly resetting the passcode is a “pain in the a——.”

Tensions came to a breaking point when the mother-in-law let herself in one day while the woman was working from home. She made small talk, then started reorganizing their kitchen and insisting the couple’s daughter needed more snacks — even though the parents try not to keep too many sweets in the house.

“I told her that moving forward, I’d appreciate a heads-up before coming over and that the code is for when we’re away, not an open invitation,” the woman explained. “She got offended, said I’m ‘pushing her out of her child’s life,’ and now my spouse is stuck in the middle.”

The post sparked strong reactions from the Reddit community, which overwhelmingly sided with the woman. Many agreed the mother-in-law was overstepping boundaries, while others said her husband was partly at fault for not standing up to his mom.

“It sounds like the only solution for now may be to have someone else check on your house,” one commenter suggested. “If giving your mother-in-law the code means she keeps using it, you just have to stop giving her the code.”

Another added: “She isn’t going to stop, especially if your spouse doesn’t stand with you. You aren’t asking for anything unreasonable. A heads-up before stopping in is more than fair. If she can’t control herself, you may need to change the code and find a different house sitter.”