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Letting a parent move into your home can be a generous solution to a difficult situation, but adding another adult to an established household can also create an entirely new set of problems. And when that person happens to strongly dislike your spouse, things can get complicated very quickly.

One woman has allowed her mother to live rent-free with her, her husband and their children for nearly two years. Unfortunately, the arrangement hasn’t exactly created one big happy family.

There have been arguments over money and access to the woman’s car, ongoing criticism of her marriage and frequent phone calls in which Mom reportedly complains about the couple to other relatives. Things became considerably more serious after one heated incident between the woman and her husband gave her mother genuine reason for concern.

The couple says they’ve since addressed what happened. Mom, however, continued telling relatives that her daughter and grandson were being abused.

Eventually, the woman walked into her own house and overheard yet another family phone call about her marriage.

This time, she’d had enough—and told Mom it was time to find somewhere else to live.

AITA for asking my mom to move out after overhearing her badmouthing me and my husband to our family?

I (F) let my mom move in with my husband, our children, and me almost two years ago. She has lived with us rent-free. I never asked for much in return besides occasionally watching the kids for a couple of hours when I needed help.

Over time, we’ve had repeated issues. She gets upset if I won’t let her use my car or buy things for her, and she frequently calls family to complain about me and my husband. She has never liked him and, even before everything happened, would tell me I’d be better off leaving him because we’re “too different.”

About a year ago, my husband and I had one heated argument after he was disciplining our son. During the argument, he grabbed my shirt in frustration. It shocked both of us because he’d never done anything like that before. He let go immediately, apologized, took full responsibility, and admitted he should never have done it. It has never happened before or since, and we’ve worked on our communication.

Yikes.

My mom physically stepped in because she believed she was protecting me, and I don’t blame her for that. I’m not excusing what my husband did—I know it was wrong. I’m only including it because it’s relevant.

Afterward, my mom began telling family that my husband abuses me and my son. She also says we treat her terribly and don’t care about her.

From my perspective, many of these stories are exaggerated or false. Because of what she’s told people, my brother won’t even speak to me while I’m married, yet he also refuses to let our mom live with him.

Wow.

My final straw was walking into the house and overhearing my mom on the phone badmouthing me and my husband to family again. Hearing our private issues discussed and what I felt were false narratives made me realize the trust was gone.

I told her I thought it was time to move out because I couldn’t continue living with someone who was damaging my marriage and family relationships.

Now my family says I’m a horrible daughter because she doesn’t have another place to live and is looking at homeless shelters.

Oh please.

The part that hurts is that several relatives, including my brother (her son), could potentially take her in temporarily but refuse to. Instead, they expect me to continue housing her despite everything that’s happened.

I feel guilty because I don’t want my mom in a shelter, but I also don’t feel I should have to keep living with someone who constantly disrespects me and undermines my household.

I’m not asking whether my husband’s actions that day were okay..they weren’t, and we’ve addressed them. I’m asking whether I’m wrong for ending my mom’s living arrangement after nearly two years because of everything that’s happened since. AITA?

Commenters had understandable concerns about the incident with the husband, but many still felt the woman was NTA for deciding she could no longer live with her mother.

Her mom wasn’t wrong to be alarmed by what she witnessed. Seeing a man grab her daughter’s clothing during an argument would understandably change how a parent viewed him, and the woman herself acknowledges that the behavior was unacceptable. Her mother doesn’t have to trust him simply because the couple says they’ve addressed it.

But that doesn’t mean the current living arrangement has to continue indefinitely.

After nearly two years of free housing, the relationship inside the home appears completely broken. Mom doesn’t trust the husband, her daughter no longer trusts Mom with private family matters, and their conflicts are now affecting relationships with extended family. Keeping everyone under one roof isn’t necessarily helping anyone.

The relatives calling her a horrible daughter also have an obvious way to help: open their own homes. It’s easy to insist someone else continue providing housing when you’re unwilling to do the same.

Mom may have legitimate concerns about the marriage, and her daughter may have legitimate reasons for ending the arrangement. Both can be true.

This person says the mom should know better.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a sister who refuses to give up her own holiday traditions to spend the day with her family at her brother’s cabin.

This person says it’s very obvious it’s the Mom’s fault.

And this person goes so far as to call the mother toxic.

The relatives demanding Mom keep her free room seem considerably less enthusiastic about offering one of their own.