The thought of putting your parents in a nursing home is devastating for most of us – especially when you consider just how lonely those places can be.
Though, for this woman, contemplating putting her parents in aged care came about after they left her with no choice… And it was a difficult situation to deal with.
Keep reading to find out just how much trouble her parents gave her!
The woman in question shared her situation on Reddit, explaining that she was a single widow living alone in a larger house as her children had moved out. Since becoming an empty nester, she had decided to convert some of the rooms into offices and hobby spaces, meaning that there were now just two functional bedrooms.
Given that her own children would visit and stay with her from time to time, she transformed her garage into a guest house, which had its own private entrance. Her children were happy enough to stay there when they came to see their mother.
After a time, the woman’s parents asked to move in with her. She welcomed the idea and told her children – everyone seemed to be in agreement.
When the day finally came for the woman’s parents to move in, her children came to help. But when they started moving her parents’ belongings into the garage, confusion arose. The woman explained that her parents would be living in the garage, not in her house.
Her parents were disappointed, thinking they could live in the house since it had five bedrooms. She explained that her house now had only two available bedrooms, with one mainly used for her dogs. Her parents told her that this made then unhappy, and said that they wanted to live in the house, not the garage.
The woman stood her ground, stating that they had no choice but to stay in the guest house. At this point, she even gave them the option of living in a nursing home instead of the garage.
“I explained that I actually have two bedrooms since one room is my office where I see clients, one is my private office, and one is my hobby room. The spare bedroom is mostly for my mutts,” the woman explained on her Reddit post.
“They said that they wanted to live in the house not out in the garage like Fonzie. I said it was a take it or leave it situation. If they didn’t want the garage they could move into a nursing home or something,” she continued. “They are upset that they are living RENT FREE in a private guest house that is fully up to code.”
Reddit users responded with varying opinions.
Some empathized with the woman, saying that her parents sounded spoiled and warned about potential issues that might arise if they moved into the main house. Others suggested that her parents might have wanted to stay in the house for convenience.
Though, others believed that the woman should have communicated more clearly from the beginning and set boundaries with her parents, allowing them occasional visits to the main house while respecting her living arrangements.