Helping family through a difficult time is one thing, but supporting someone indefinitely is a totally different thing.

This man and his wife tried to give his mother a fresh start after she ended a long-term relationship and received a sizable cash settlement.

They offered her a place to live at below-market rent, helped her create a budget, and spent nearly two years encouraging her to find steady work.

The only problem is that she failed to live up to her end of the bargain.

And unfortunately, if she can’t pay her share of the bills, someone else will have to cover them.

Now her son has reached a crossroads and must decide whether to continue supporting his mother or finally draw a line.

Read on to see where he’s at with this whole situation.

AITA for refusing to continue supporting my mother after she ran out of money?

My mother is in her early 60s and about two years ago, she ended a 15-year relationship. As part of the separation, she received about $70,000 in cash and a paid-off car.

At the time, my wife and I were deciding whether to renew our lease.

My wife suggested renting a house with a separate ADU so my mother could move in nearby and have support while she got back on her feet. We charged her below-market rent and the understanding was that she would use the time to find work and become financially independent.

Before she moved in, I sat down with her and helped create a budget. I explained that without income, her savings would eventually run out. I gave her a realistic timeline for how long the money would last.

Now, that timeline has expired.

Over the next 18 months, she paid her own bills using those savings, but made very little effort to find a job. She has not worked consistently in many years. I helped build her resume, applied to roughly 180 jobs on her behalf, found interviews, and repeatedly tried to help her create a plan.

The timeline I warned her about has now arrived. Her savings are gone and she was unable to pay rent this month.

My wife and I have a young child and our own financial obligations. Our lease ends in October, and I’ve told my mother that if she does not have reliable income by then, I will not continue a living arrangement that requires me to financially support her indefinitely.

I love my mother and I’m grateful for many things she has done for me throughout my life. But I also feel like I’ve spent nearly two years trying to help her avoid exactly this situation.

AITA?

Yikes! It’s easy to see both sides of this, but it doesn’t seem like she was living up to her end of the deal.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a woman who doesn’t want to go to the amusement park with her friend anymore, because the friend can no longer ride most of the attractions.

Let’s check out what the readers over at Reddit think about his plan.

The story is a wake-up call for this woman.

That part just seems wrong.

Good question. Or draw off her ex-husband.

This person thinks he’s in the wrong.

Eek. This one is tough.

On one hand, the son has gone above and beyond to help his mother. However, what exactly did he expect would happen?

She’s in her 60s and hasn’t worked consistently in years, so finding a job at that age isn’t always easy, especially after spending so long out of the workforce.

And while nobody expects him to support her forever, it also feels a little harsh to wash his hands of the situation now that she has reached the point everyone saw coming.

After all, most parents don’t stop helping their children the moment life gets difficult. Chances are she wouldn’t have done that to him growing up, either.

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