In a seemingly innocent request for babysitting help, a woman had no idea that her decision would lead to a startling confrontation. Upon her return, she was confronted with a puzzling and deeply unsettling sight, prompting her to make a drastic move: she kicked her mother-in-law out of the house.
A mother hugging her three children | Source: Shutterstock
On July 31, 2022, an anonymous female poster turned to the widely popular “AITA” subreddit to share her story. The woman’s mother-in-law was supposed to arrive at 6 p.m. on a Friday to babysit her three children: 12-year-old twin girls and a nine-year-old boy.
A senior woman knitting a sweater while sitting on the sofa | Source: Shutterstock
However, she showed up an hour late, at 7 p.m. The children’s bedtime was at 8 p.m., meaning they were only awake and active for an hour while she was there. Despite this, the narrator paid her $150 for her babysitting services.
What Transpired in the Woman’s Absence?
Upon returning home, the original poster discovered a series of unsettling events. Her MIL was found sleeping on the couch—a usual practice when she babysat overnight. However, the house was in disarray. The narrator’s bedroom had been rummaged through, and personal computer files, which contained intimate photos of both the woman and her spouse, were left open.
Not buying her mother-in-law’s version of the story, OP remained adamant about telling her to exit the house.
Grandmother tucking in her granddaughter to sleep in bed at night | Source: Shutterstock
This intrusion was particularly distressing to the woman. Additionally, her mother-in-law had violated rules, such as letting the dog sleep on the bed (a breach of the no dogs on the bed policy) and leaving garbage scattered around the living room.
A dog sleeping in bed | Source: Shutterstock
The bathroom was also in chaos, with clean towels strewn in the bathtub. Most concerning was the MIL’s unauthorized access to OP’s office, where she was said to have gone through the computer files. “The ONLY thing I really had a problem with was my computer. Everything else was the icing on the cake,” noted the enraged woman.
A senior woman using a smartphone and laptop at home | Source: Shutterstock
“Like why are you going through my computer files?? I have personal info in there (contracts with clients) and again, intimate photos of both me and my husband. And we have a strict no one allowed in our office rule because of this,” expressed OP. Unable to control herself, the woman woke up her MIL and asked her to leave.
Her husband, shocked and embarrassed about the situation, supported the decision to send his mother away. When confronted about the invasion of privacy, the mother-in-law claimed she was looking for solitaire, a flimsy excuse considering she had delved deep into specific files marked “intimate” and “personal.”
A woman arguing with her mother-in-law | Source: Shutterstock
Not buying her mother-in-law’s version of the story, OP remained adamant about telling her to exit the house. “She [MIL] starts freaking out, saying she will just leave in the AM and I say no, now,” explained the anonymous narrator.
After being kicked out of the house, the woman received angry texts and voicemails from her mother-in-law. Besides defending her actions, MIL suggested that her daughter-in-law should have put a lock on her computer if she didn’t want people going through her personal files.
A man arguing with his mother | Source: Shutterstock
OP concluded her account by sharing that her computer was secured with a password, but it was her husband’s birthday, which didn’t seem too difficult for her MIL to hack. She also asked the Reddit community if she was in the wrong for turning her husband’s mom out in the middle of the night.
The Online Reaction
After sharing her story on Reddit, the consensus among the commenters was unanimous: the woman was not at fault (NTA). Redditors strongly condemned the mother-in-law’s behavior, deeming it utterly inappropriate and disrespectful.
They emphasized the MIL’s severe breach of trust, invasion of privacy, and disregard for house rules, including leaving the dog unsupervised and rummaging through personal belongings. Commenters expressed support for the narrator’s decision to ask the MIL to leave and even suggested future childcare arrangements, like having the MIL watch the children in her own home.
What do you think about this story? How would you react if you were in OP’s place? Was OP right to kick her MIL out, or should she have forgiven her for rummaging through her personal items?
