My Son’s Married, But He Wants Me to Clean Their House – For Pay!

Ever since Wyatt announced his engagement to Alexandra, I had my reservations. It wasn’t that Alexandra was unkind or unpleasant; it was just that she seemed, well, a bit too accustomed to having things done for her. I chalked it up to generational differences and did my best to welcome her into our family. After all, Wyatt was over the moon, and as his mother, his happiness was my priority.

The wedding was a lavish affair, and soon after, they settled into their new home. It wasn’t long before Wyatt approached me with a proposition that took me by surprise. He wanted me to take care of the cleaning and organizing of their house. He even offered to pay me, citing their busy careers as the reason they couldn’t keep on top of household chores. I was taken aback. Was this really what my relationship with my son and his wife had come to? I was to be their cleaner?

Despite my initial hesitations, I agreed. Wyatt was my son, and if this was what he needed from me, I was willing to help. Plus, I thought it might give me an opportunity to bond with Alexandra, to find some common ground.

The arrangement started off well enough. I would come by twice a week, tidying up, doing laundry, and occasionally preparing meals for them. However, it quickly became apparent that Alexandra’s expectations and mine were worlds apart. She had specific ways she wanted things done, down to the arrangement of cushions and the folding of clothes. No matter how hard I tried, I could never seem to meet her standards. Wyatt was caught in the middle, trying to mediate between his wife and his mother, a role I’m sure he never envisioned for himself.

Tensions began to rise. What started as minor complaints escalated into full-blown arguments. I felt unappreciated and taken advantage of, while Alexandra felt I was not respecting her home. Wyatt was frustrated, torn between loyalty to his wife and his mother.

The breaking point came one afternoon when I overheard Alexandra complaining to a friend over the phone about “having to deal with Wyatt’s mother.” My heart sank. I realized then that no amount of money was worth the strain this arrangement was putting on our relationships. I decided it was time to step back.

I told Wyatt I could no longer clean their house. The conversation that followed was one of the hardest in my life. Wyatt was disappointed, and Alexandra was indifferent. It was clear that this arrangement had created a rift between us that wouldn’t easily be mended.

In the months that followed, our interactions became more infrequent and strained. I watched as my relationship with my son and his wife grew more distant, a casualty of good intentions gone awry. I learned the hard way that mixing family roles with financial transactions can lead to unexpected and often unhappy outcomes.