I don’t mind paying for relatives and in-laws’ meals and treating them once in a while.

But, the moment they get demanding and abusive, that’s a whole different story.

Read the story below and find out how one woman dealt with the kind of people who call themselves “family.”

AITA For Only Paying my Stepson’s bill at family dinner?

I (31F) have been married to my husband (35M) for two years.

My stepson, who is 16, and I were invited to a family dinner by my relatives.

My husband couldn’t join us due to a work commitment.

She paid only for her and her stepson’s meals.

I make a good salary, and sometimes cover my nephew’s and other family members’ meals at these dinners as a gesture of goodwill.

However, this time, I decided to pay only for my stepson’s and my own meals.

Our total came to $250.

We had plans to go shopping, and have a special outing just for the two of us later in the month, so I wanted to manage our expenses more carefully.

Her sister-in-law was disappointed.

After the dinner, my sister-in-law (my nephew’s mom) complained.

She accused me of favoring my stepson over my own family, and said I spoil him too much.

She was really upset, and claimed that my actions showed I care more about my stepson than my own flesh and blood.

She explained her side.

Her comments really angered me.

I argued back, saying that they invited us to dinner and expected me to cover everyone’s meal, which didn’t seem fair.

I explained that my stepson and I have our own plans and budget, and it was unreasonable to expect me to pay for everyone.

Now, the family members are split on who to side with.

To make matters worse, some family members had to borrow money from others just to cover their share because they felt entitled to have me pay for the entire bill.

The family is now split—some are on my side, agreeing that I was justified given the situation, while others think I should have just paid for everyone and discussed it afterward.

She is wondering if she was to blame in this situation.

Many are shocked by the amount, and said they wouldn’t have paid the bill either.

They argue that it would have been more considerate to cover the entire bill at the time, given that we were all together.

AITA for only paying for my stepson’s and my own meals at the family dinner?

Let’s see what other people have to say about it.

People are appalled.

Here’s another one!

Exactly! I wonder, too.

This user says they’re just using OP.

Never again!

The audacity of these people!

And they call themselves family?

If you thought that was an interesting story, check out what happened when a family gave their in-laws a free place to stay in exchange for babysitting, but things changed when they don’t hold up their end of the bargain.