I live alone in a three-bedroom house. After my son got married, he kept telling me it was the perfect place for them to start their family. He talked about “future kids,” space to grow, and how it would finally feel like a real home for them.
I believed him.
So I made a huge sacrifice: I gave them the house and moved out to live with my widowed sister, telling myself it was temporary and that I was helping my son build his future.
Then yesterday, my son casually told me that his mother-in-law is moving in with them.
I was stunned. I told him, “I didn’t give up my home so she could move in.”
That’s when my daughter-in-law dropped the real bomb. She said, “We lied about starting a family right away. We’re not ready yet—we’re too young.” Then she added, “But my mom is alone. Now we have a big house, so she’s going to live with us.”
I felt my face burn. I told her I never agreed to that, and I reminded them that the house was still technically mine—at least in my mind, because it was my home and my sacrifice that made all of this possible.
But my son didn’t back me up. Instead, he said, “My MIL needs us more than you do. She’s my family too now, and I have to take care of her.”
I’m heartbroken. I feel used—like they dangled the “grandkids soon” story just to get me out, and now they’re making new plans without me even being considered. I don’t know what to do next, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve been replaced in my own life.
