Three years ago, in 2020, many of us faced significant changes as we adapted to the new realities brought on by COVID-19.
Homeschooling and hybrid work situations became common, leading to considerable stress for many. For this couple, the challenges were particularly severe. The wife had to leave her job to homeschool their three children, resulting in a substantial loss of income.
Previously, the couple had depended on their combined earnings to cover essential expenses like rent and bills. With the wife out of work, the family of five struggled to afford their housing. They asked to stay with the husband’s mother temporarily while they worked on resolving their financial difficulties.
How did the family end up homeless?
Initially, the mother agreed to let her family stay in two bedrooms at her home. However, she rescinded the offer once she learned that they had been evicted and were without a place to live.
Desperate and homeless, the couple struggled to find shelters that could accommodate them and their children. The search was challenging, as many other families were also seeking shelter due to the pandemic’s impact.
For four months, the family lived in their van. Eventually, they managed to secure a spot in a homeless shelter, but the mother-in-law remained distant, straining their relationship with her.
Feeling abandoned, the couple struggled with resentment towards the mother-in-law for not offering help during their crisis. Additionally, the husband’s sister made them uncomfortable by refusing to let them use her home for showers, despite their offer to pay.
“We were treated like outcasts just because we were over 30, had three kids, and were struggling,” the wife said, expressing her frustration and hurt. She felt especially let down by her sister-in-law, who had inherited her house from their late father and hadn’t paid taxes for years.
Despite the challenges, the couple remained determined to improve their situation and build a better future for their three young children.
The couple transformed their lives
Eventually, they were able to make a fresh start by building a new home from the ground up. Both the husband and wife secured stable jobs and started their own business to increase their income, taking steps to ensure they would not face homelessness again.
Their journey from living in a van to achieving financial stability filled them with immense pride, especially since they accomplished it all without family support.
As the saying goes, what goes around comes around. It wasn’t long before the mother-in-law, facing her own difficulties, came knocking on her son and daughter-in-law’s new home. However, they hadn’t forgotten how she had treated them during their time of need.
The mother-in-law requested assistance
The mother-in-law found herself in a difficult situation with reduced work hours and no retirement benefits, bringing her close to eviction. She had received a lease termination notice along with two eviction letters.
Desperate, she turned to her son and daughter-in-law, asking if she could stay with them. The wife recalled, “She came here yesterday afternoon and asked if she could stay with us.”
Despite the unfortunate circumstances, the wife found it ironic that the same woman who had refused them help during their time of need was now seeking assistance.
“There’s no chance of that happening,” she told her mother-in-law, which offended her.
The mother-in-law then turned to her son for support, but he sided with his wife, choosing not to help. He, too, felt resentful because his mother had allowed her grandchildren to live in a van for four months despite her earlier promise of support.
The mother-in-law left their home in tears, insisting that the situations were “entirely different.” She went to her daughter to recount what happened, leading the daughter to call her brother and criticize him for not helping their mother.
Although it’s unclear why the daughter couldn’t take her own mother in, the husband and wife remained firm in their decision to decline the mother’s request, suggesting she consider moving to a nursing home instead.
While some friends thought their decision was harsh, many people online supported the couple’s stance.
“Let the sister-in-law handle it. Seems like a fitting outcome for everyone involved,” one person commented on Facebook.
“If your husband agrees with you, there’s nothing wrong with your decision. She chose not to help you, so it’s fair for the sister-in-law to take her in,” another user added.
What are your thoughts on this challenging situation? Share your opinion with us!