Pregnant Woman Demands Mother-in-Law Move Out After Living with Them for 6 Months. Her Partner Says She’s ‘Too Harsh’

A woman turned to Reddit for advice after feeling overwhelmed by the living arrangement she had agreed to with her mother-in-law — and began wondering if it would be fair to ask her to move out.

She explained that “a little over 8 months ago my MIL (67 F) came to us stating the house she was renting at the time was being sold and she had 2 months until having to move out.”

Because her mother-in-law “did not want to work anymore,” the woman and her husband decided to let her move into the downstairs area of their home.

According to the poster, things shifted quickly once her mother-in-law settled in. The downstairs setup provided some physical separation, but emotionally it didn’t feel that way. “Since she has been here I feel like we no longer have our own space and I cannot relax in my own home,” she wrote, adding that her mother-in-law has “a quite harsh personality” and “tries to be involved in all of our [business].”

The woman went on to describe a pattern of boundary issues. She said her mother-in-law repeatedly entered the couple’s bedroom, claiming that she “uses my dog going onto our bed while I’m gone as an excuse to go into our room and continuing to do so after being told to stay out of our room.”

She also said the questions were constant, explaining that her MIL frequently asked “what our plans are, where we are going, what is in our packages ordered, personal life questions, etc.”

On top of that, there were ongoing frustrations around childcare for her 7-month-old. The mother-in-law helps by watching the child “for 2 hours after school until I am off work 4 days a week,” but the arrangement hasn’t felt supportive. The poster contrasted this with their previous babysitter, who would offer “a healthy snack then take him outside to play, read books, or do other activities.”

By comparison, she said her MIL “does the bare minimum, usually sitting our son in front of the TV until I get home and feeding him junk even after I ask her not to.”

Complicating matters, her husband often works out of town, leaving her largely on her own to deal with the situation. “I have made my boundaries very clear and MIL continues to ignore these,” she wrote, noting the toll it has taken on her mental and emotional well-being.

Then the couple received big news: they were expecting another baby. The woman admitted, “Having known our family would be growing, I would not have agreed to MIL moving in.”

While the pregnancy was a happy development, it also intensified the pressure of their current setup. Once the nursery is finished, she explained, “we also will no longer have any room for company to stay over.”

Feeling overwhelmed, she told her husband that they needed to start making a plan for his mother to eventually move out. Her idea was to give her mother-in-law time and support to find a place “affordable enough for her being on a pension.”

She also pointed out that her mother-in-law is capable of living on her own and has even mentioned the possibility of working part-time again.

Her husband, however, didn’t see it the same way. “My husband thinks I am being too harsh wanting to ask her to move out after only living with us for 6 months,” she wrote.

Commenters largely sided with the poster. One wrote, “NTA. You gave it a real shot and she’s ignoring clear boundaries in your home, plus a new baby changes the deal.” That commenter suggested setting a firm timeline for moving out, putting household rules in writing, and helping brainstorm where her mother-in-law could look for housing or part-time employment.

Another commenter agreed, saying, “NTA. I wouldn’t want someone nosey living in my house like that either or straight up doesn’t listen to me. Almost sounds like she’s taking your kindness for granted.”