A post on the r/AITJ subreddit sparked debate after a 27-year-old wrote that she refused to take in her 56-year-old mother.
The conflict began after the mother sold her home, gave the proceeds to her 24-year-old son to help him buy a place, and later asked to move in with the original poster when her own rent increased.
The mother said the OP was "punishing me for helping family" when they discussed her request to move in.
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Money Choices Drive Tension
OP wrote that she rents a two-bedroom apartment with her fiancé and does not have space for an additional person. She wrote that her mother had options when she sold the property but chose to give the proceeds to her younger son so he could buy a home with his girlfriend.
As a result, the mother now faced a rent hike from her landlord and wanted to move into her daughter's apartment.
According to the post, the younger brother told her she was being "cold and heartless" because their mother "has nowhere else to go." OP wrote that the request placed her in a difficult position because she felt guilty but believed the decision to gift the house money had created the issue her mother now wanted her to solve.
The poster wrote that her refusal centered on fairness, personal boundaries, and the choices her mother made with the sale.
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Sibling Dynamics Add Pressure
OP wrote that tensions rose when her brother reacted to the decision. He told her she was being "cold and heartless" because their mother "has nowhere else to go." She wrote that the comment added pressure to an already emotional situation, especially since he had received the proceeds from their mother's home sale to help him buy his own place.
Reactions in the thread were direct. One Redditor wrote, "Not the jerk, brother has funds to house her."
"Not the jerk for real, she chose to give the house to your brother. That's on her, not you. You're allowed to have boundaries in your own home," a commenter said.
Another user added, "The solution seems pretty obvious. He got the house money, he can provide the house."
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