While their house is being repaired, a man's in-laws have been engaging in loud nighttime behavior which is impacting his children's sleep. The man is trying to find a solution that is both morally justifiable and fair, but his wife and in-laws are not on the same page with him. He has taken to Reddit to explain his story.
**This article is based on material obtained from sources pertaining to social media, news, and research websites, which is referenced within the narrative*
The author of the post, a man in his thirties, has reportedly been feeling the effects of a growing strain between himself and his temporary guests, namely, his in-laws. The couple is lodging with the family due to unforeseen repairs that must be made to their home after an unexpected accident. Unfortunately, this arrangement has caused sleepless nights for his two children, aged 8 and 6, thanks to continuous disruption from the visiting relatives.
"When he gets home they will watch YouTube in the living room and play music on it at a loud volume with our speaker system, it's not 'college house party bass tearing apart the walls' loud but it is still loud," said the man.
Mirroring some 75% of people reporting having problems with an in-law, this man has attempted to resolve the issue with his guests; however, they have refused to cooperate. "I've tried to talk to my MIL and FIL about it and asked that they please keep the noise down after my kids' bed time which is 8:30pm. I don't expect complete silence but I really don't think they need to have the TV on loud late at night," he said.
The man's wife, who is employed in overnight shifts and consequently absent during the noise disruption, has taken her father's side in this disagreement. "My FIL argued with me and said that he doesn't finish work til 11pm, so I'm basically expecting him to not do the things he enjoys after work. I told him he can do it before work or on his days off or it's tough [redacted]," he noted.
Just like the 39% of parents who have decided to filter or monitor their kids' digital behavior, this man was desperate for order. Therefore, he took matters into his own hands and set up parental controls on the TV - barring its use after 8:30 PM when all little ones are tucked in bed. "I decided to put parental controls on the TV so that my in-laws can't use it after 8:30pm, until 6am the next day. Between those times the TV can't be used without putting in the password and only I know it," he said.
Unfortunately, this choice has escalated animosity between the man and his father-in-law. The older gentleman is livid with his son-in-law and adamantly requests access to the parental controls by way of the password. "My FIL is now incredibly pissed off with me and said that I'm acting like a child and keeps pestering me, demanding the password," said the man.
Moreover, the man's wife is supposedly infuriated with him for his actions that have caused her father distress. "He complained to my wife who's now taking his side and saying that the kids need to learn how to sleep through 'a bit of everyday noise'," he said
The man is now reflecting on whether his conduct was morally permissible, considering that his in-laws are visiting him in his home. "I'm just so annoyed at this whole situation and I'm sick of hearing about it so I just want to know if I'm morally in the clear," he concluded.
What do you think?
Tell me your thoughts in the comments, and don't forget to share this article with your friends and family.
Thanks for reading,
Abby
Source
Carnegie, Megan. "The tensions that fan tricky in-law relationships." BBC
u/ExplanationFun2337. "AITA for putting parental controls on my TV and royally pissing off my FIL?" Reddit
Anderson, Monica. "How parents monitor their teen’s digital behavior." Pew Research Center
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