In-Laws Say They’re Too ‘Tired’ to Watch Grandkids After Man’s Dad Dies

A man says his in-laws promised to watch his toddler for three weeks while he and his wife were in the hospital having their second child, but then refused to extend their stay despite extenuating circumstances.

In a post shared to Reddit, the man writes that his dad “unexpectedly became very ill” near the end of his in-laws’ visit. When he decided to fly home to be with his dad, his mother-in-law “promised” they would stay a few extra days to help out. He noted that she is “retired and has no obligations for months.”

“Sadly, my dad passed away the first day I was back home, and later that day I was told my in-laws couldn’t extend their stay,” he writes, emphasizing that “they left on their initially scheduled flight” despite promising “they’d push it back.”

“They had zero reason other than they telling my wife they were ‘tired’ (as though I wasn’t after a caring for a newborn and watching my dad die??) and ‘wanted to go home.’ They haven’t explained it to me or apologized for this.”

He continues, “As a result, I had to leave my hometown and grieving mother just 36 hours after my dad passed. I had to care for a newborn and toddler while still in complete shock and utter exhaustion so my in-laws could go back to their cushy life.”

The man notes that his wife “was less than two weeks removed from a C-Section” when he left and “physically incapable of caring for a toddler and infant,” so he “had no choice but to come back.”

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Now, the man’s in-laws want to come back for a visit, but he isn’t comfortable with that.

His wife, however, “agrees what they did was awful, but won’t say anything about it to them, and expects me to just accept them visiting despite how I feel.”

Now, he’s taking to Reddit to ask if it would be inappropriate to “set a boundary and insist I’m not comfortable with them coming so soon.”

“It’s not just that they left me high and dry when I needed them most, it’s that they didn’t even reach out to me to explain or apologize. I’m just very hurt and very angry,” he adds.

Reddit commenters weighed in, with one suggesting the poster give his in-laws a taste of their own medicine.

“Tell them you’re ‘tired’ and unable to properly host them. You will reach out to them when you’re ready to see them again,” the commenter wrote. “Actions have consequences and your in-laws apparently never learned that lesson. Focus on your family and ignore outside distractions.”