My Mother-in-law Has Chosen to Move into My Flat and Give Her Own Apartment to My Daughter

My husband grew up in a bustling household, one of those families where you need a spreadsheet just to keep track of birthdays. My mother-in-law, bless her, kept having children until finally she had herself a daughter. An interesting strategy, I must say, though I suppose its not my place to judge.

When I married David, I naïvely thought Id struck gold. He seemed reliable, brave, solid as a double-decker bus. He understood family, or so I thought, but it turns out he couldnt possibly cut ties with his mother and his younger sister. My mother-in-law didnt exactly put her sons on a pedestal, but her daughters happiness was always top of the list.

The sister, Sophie, was ten when I first met her. At the time, I didnt mind in the least. But after five years, lets just say the novelty wore off. Sophie didnt want to learn, preferred hanging about with dodgy lads, and every little crisis seemed to land on my husbands plate. Sophie could phone David at ungodly hours for assistance, and somehow it was always his problem.

I kept hoping Sophie would grow up, find a nice chap, and everything would settle nicely. But nowhen she did take the plunge and get married, my mother-in-law decided the brothers ought to chip in for the wedding because she herself was skint. The groom wasnt much better off, earning a pittance, so the newlyweds had to move in with my mother-in-law.

One child, then anothersoon enough, my mother-in-law realised this arrangement was madness. Then she came up with a brilliant solution: shed move in with us and pass her flat on to her precious daughter. Except, hang on, isnt it a bit off that I bought our flat with my own savings, and my husband didnt contribute so much as a penny? Oddly enough, hes fine with the situationactually claims, Mum will help you out.

Weve got a two-bedroom flat. I dont fancy giving up my comfort to squeeze another person into our home. But my mother-in-law is convinced its our duty to house her, since my husband is the eldest and apparently responsible for his parents wellbeing.

I do love my husband, and divorce isnt on the table. However, how do I get it through his thick skull that living with his mum would be sheer torture? Can anyone offer some practical advice, or do I need to start leaving hints in the form of sock-eating house pets and invisible snoring neighbours?