There are functional households and then there are very dysfunctional households. I’m lucky to come from a pretty great upbringing without much drama, but a lot of people can’t say the same.

In today’s story, there is an awful lot of drama, and the family seems very dysfunctional. There’s physical and emotional abuse. CPS is involved, and someone forgot to pay the rent. It’s pretty intense.

At the heart of the story is a teenager who doesn’t want to get evicted and has to choose between listening to the stepfather or the landlord. Feeling caught in the middle, it’s hard to know what to do.

The center of the drama is the mother who is awful in quite a few ways and is the reason they could get evicted. In fact, if the landlord knew she was still living in the apartment, it would be really bad.

Let’s read the whole story to decide what this teen should do.

AITA for telling my mother if she didn’t leave by Monday then I’m going to our landlord and telling him she won’t leave?

I, 15-year old FTM, have been in a challenging period living with my 70-year-old grandfather and my 34-year-old mother in our apartment.

My grandfather moved in after my stepfather left, as he needed a place to stay.

My mother became his caretaker, assisting with appointments and medication reminders, although he is still quite independent.

In return for her care, my grandfather allowed her to use a monthly check he receives, which amounts to $3,000. Our rent is $1,800, leaving $1,200 for other expenses.

Yikes! OP’s mother has a lot of problems.

Recently, a distressing discovery was made: my mother had not been paying rent for the past five months.

This came to light when our power was shut off.

We subsequently learned that she had gambled away over $15,000 through mobile gambling apps, a behavior she has struggled with in the past.

It was a difficult week, during which we couldn’t locate her until I found her using the Find My iPhone app; she had been sleeping in a storage unit.

The landlord tried to work with them.

Child Protective Services (CPS) became involved, and we were facing eviction.

However, our landlord was understanding and agreed to allow my grandfather and me to stay, with a new lease in progress. A strict condition of this arrangement was that my mother could not reside in the apartment.

Initially, she adhered to this, but about a week ago, she came by to collect some clothes and has not left since.

I am hesitant to inform the landlord, but her presence is causing increasing problems.

This would be annoying.

Today, I experienced another frustrating incident. I forgot my key and found myself locked out.

My mother did not answer my calls or the door.

My grandfather was not yet home, so I went to our landlord to ask if he had a spare key. He did not, but he kindly allowed me to wait in his office until my grandfather returned. We chatted for a while, and I eventually went back upstairs when my grandfather arrived.

He informed me that my mother claimed I hadn’t called or knocked. However, my call records clearly show otherwise.

I don’t think the mom made a good impression on the CPS worker.

I went to my room to tidy up in preparation for laundry, when my grandfather mentioned that the CPS worker was there for an unannounced visit regarding doctor’s appointments and other matters.

My mother immediately became confrontational, yelling at the CPS worker, demanding she leave, questioning her presence, stating she hadn’t called anyone, and insisting on an appointment.

I suggested we could speak outside, as refusing to talk would necessitate calling the police.

We spoke briefly, and she gave me her number. Then, my mother emerged from the apartment wearing only a shirt and underwear, yelling at the CPS worker and demanding I go inside.

OP’s mother really sounds unhinged.

Once inside, my mother launched into a tirade, expressing her hatred for my grandfather and me, accusing us of going behind her back (despite my ignorance of the CPS visit). She insulted me, calling me stupid, retarded, and a moron.

My grandfather told her she needed to leave, emphasizing that she was responsible for the situation.

It was then that I told her if she was not out of the apartment by Monday, I would inform the landlord of her unauthorized presence.

In response, she declared that I would no longer be allowed to attend a birthday party that weekend.

What party?

Firstly, I was unaware of any party.

Secondly, I fail to see how any of this is my fault.

She then called my stepfather, Ryan, portraying herself as the victim and threatening to harm herself.

After this call, she came out again and resumed her outburst.

The mom continued to question OP and make demands.

I was taking out the garbage and returned to collect my grandfather’s trash when she emerged yet again, continuing her rant and questioning why I was cleaning.

It seemed obvious to me that since I was already taking out the garbage, it made sense to check if my grandfather had any as well.

She then demanded I clean my room, which I was already in the process of doing.

When I came out to put dishes in the sink, she again told me to go clean my room – I was literally putting away dishes from my room!

OP tried to ignore the craziness.

Next, I brought out my laundry, and she appeared once more, telling me to go to my room and not to do laundry if I wasn’t planning to wash, dry, and fold it that day.

At this point, I decided to ignore her.

She then began arguing with my grandfather while I was texting my boyfriend.

Shortly after, my stepfather texted me, asking me to call him. I went outside to get the mail and returned his call.

The stepfather made the situation more stressful.

He immediately took my mother’s side, saying she knew what she was doing. He questioned how the landlord would find out about her being there and suggested that my grandfather couldn’t properly care for me.

I argued that she wasn’t supposed to be living there and needed to leave, emphasizing that she had brought this situation upon herself by gambling away my grandfather’s money.

He dismissed this as a mistake and threatened that if I told the landlord she was there, he would make us regret it and would take back all his belongings in the apartment, including the TV, washer, and dryer, before hanging up on me.

I immediately informed my grandfather about this conversation, and he told me not to worry. However, I am understandably concerned.

It got physical.

Later, while I was in my room, my stepfather apparently called my grandmother, who has a history of contacting CPS and, in fact, was the one who called them this time.

He then came over, and he and my mother began arguing.

It seems he hit her. When I came out, she was yelling, asking if it was okay for him to hit her.

He then got up, shoved her against the wall and onto the ground, and left.

Apparently, this isn’t uncommon in this dysfunctional family.

My stepfather and my mother have a history of verbal, emotional, and physical abuse towards each other. They seem perfectly matched in their dysfunction but are incredibly destructive to one another.

While they both engage in abuse, today felt particularly disturbing, and I felt a sense of pity for my mother.

She refused to let us call an ambulance.

As I tried to find a walker to help her to her room, she called me names.

The mother’s attitude completely changed…for a moment.

Later, she started crying, said she loved me, and asked for water and ice, which I provided.

She then pointed to a CVS paper pill bag and asked me to give it to her.

Under the pressure of the moment, it took me a moment to locate it.

She then started yelling again, screaming at me not to look at the bag, which has now made me concerned about what she might be taking.

OP isn’t sure what to do.

My grandfather believes I have every right to feel the way I do.

However, my stepfather’s threats about the landlord and his subsequent physical altercation with my mother have left me feeling incredibly overwhelmed and suffocated.

Because if I don’t say anything an he find out (because he will eventually.) we all won’t be able to live there.

What a stressful and awful situation!

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a tenant who called the landlord after they hadn’t seen or heard their neighbor in days.

Let’s see what advice Reddit has.

Here’s a simple and effective solution to keep the mother out.

One person urges OP to do something.

Here’s a suggestion to tell the landlord.

Another person suggests talking to the CPS lady.

I feel really bad for the teenager in this story. At fifteen, this teen should be focused on school and friends, not worrying about getting evicted because the mom won’t pay the rent and then refuses to move out.

The mom sounds like the source of the drama. If she would just leave, it would be so much less stressful. I think OP and the grandfather would be okay on their own. The grandfather is already the one who can afford the rent. I’m sure they could make due with the leftover money to pay any other bills that come up. But they need to not get evicted first.

If the mom is out, hopefully that would mean the stepfather would move out too, because he is also a source of drama. I feel bad for the mom being in such an abusive relationship, but that’s definitely not OP’s fault. The mom is the one who has to want out.

Talking to the landlord and the CPS lady could be the best options to turn this situation around. I hope OP is able to get the mom out and have a much less chaotic life.