When does an in-law’s behavior cross the line into disrespectful?
As if marriage weren’t tough enough, something that can make it even harder is when outside influences are causing tension between the couple and end up making things more difficult.
Data has even proven that the interference of in-laws can increase a married couple’s risk of getting divorced by 20% in some cases. This can truly put a strain on a marriage.
These realities were highlighted in a recent online post in which a man plans to turn off the gas in his house when going on vacation to ensure his mother-in-law doesn’t burn down his home, or cause bodily harm to herself.
When does an in-law’s behavior cross the line into disrespectful?
A Reddit post published on August 10, reported on by Matt Keeley from Newsweek, has gone viral with 4,700 upvotes and close to 800 comments.
The author begins his post by stating that his mother-in-law currently lives with him, but he isn’t exactly happy about the set-up. In fact, he goes as far as to say that she is ‘irresponsible, petty and lazy’.
To make matters worse, when the author and his wife go out for dinner, his mother-in-law will cook dinner for herself, but each time she will leave the gas stove on. They will return home, and while the burner will be off, the gas will still be going, making the house ‘reek of gas’. The couple is convinced that the mother-in-law does this to ‘punish them’ for going out without her.
This vengeful habit has recently become a real concern, as the couple is going away on vacation for two weeks, and the mother-in-law has made it clear she is unhappy about this fact. The author is concerned that his in-law will forget to turn off the gas while they’re away, and will blow up their house while they’re gone.
Is it a good idea to live with in-laws?
For more and more young people and couples, living with in-laws is a necessary housing situation due to the pandemic, financial realities, and the current economic crisis. It can be difficult mentally to live with in-laws, and for some can be quite taxing on a person’s mental health.
Because of his grave concerns about his mother-in-law’s bad habit of forgetting to turn off the gas, and thus putting herself and their home at risk, the author is ultimately wondering whether he should turn off the gas while they’re on vacation so that she doesn’t harm herself while they are away.
He recognizes that this could be quite drastic, as his mother-in-law will still be living in their home, but he also wants to protect her, as well as his house.
What do you think? Is this a good idea, and the author should certainly turn off the gas to protect his mother-in-law from himself? Or is this a cruel idea, and the author can’t possibly cut the gas when his in-law will still be living in their home while they’re on vacation?
Comments / 127