“Until She Divorces Him, She Won’t Get a Dime from Us”: I Told My Daughter I Won’t Help Her Anymore Until She Leaves Her Lazy Husband

My husband and I have been at each other’s throats for months now, and the root of our arguments is always the same: our son-in-law, Jake. Jake has been married to our daughter, Emily, for five years now, and in all that time, he has never held down a stable job. For the past year, he’s been working odd jobs here and there, but nothing that brings in a steady income. Meanwhile, Emily is left to shoulder the burden of raising their two young children and keeping the household afloat.

Emily is currently on maternity leave after giving birth to their second child, and she can’t work full-time. Despite this, she still manages to do freelance work from home to make ends meet. It’s heartbreaking to see her so exhausted and stressed out all the time. My husband and I have been helping her financially, but it’s reached a point where I feel like we’re enabling Jake’s laziness.

Last week, I finally reached my breaking point. Emily called me in tears because they were behind on their rent again. I asked her what Jake was doing to help, and she admitted that he was out with his friends, as usual. That was the last straw for me. I told Emily that we wouldn’t be giving her any more money until she left Jake.

“Mom, you can’t be serious,” she said, her voice trembling.

“I’m dead serious, Emily,” I replied. “We can’t keep supporting you while Jake does nothing. You deserve better than this.”

Emily hung up on me, and we haven’t spoken since. My husband thinks I was too harsh, but I stand by my decision. We’ve given Jake enough chances to step up and be a responsible husband and father, but he hasn’t changed. I refuse to watch my daughter suffer because of his laziness.

The days turned into weeks, and still no word from Emily. I tried calling her several times, but she never picked up. My husband suggested we go over to their apartment to check on her, but I was too stubborn to admit that maybe I had made a mistake.

One evening, there was a knock on our door. It was Emily, holding her two children with tears streaming down her face. She looked exhausted and defeated.

“Mom, Dad, I don’t know what to do,” she sobbed. “Jake left us. He said he couldn’t handle the pressure anymore and just walked out.”

My heart broke for her, but I couldn’t help feeling a sense of vindication. Maybe now she would see that Jake was never going to change.

“We’ll help you get back on your feet,” my husband said gently, pulling her into a hug.

Over the next few weeks, we helped Emily find a small apartment and get settled in. She started looking for a full-time job once her maternity leave ended, but it was tough with two young children to care for. We did what we could to support her, but it was clear that she was struggling.

One night, Emily called me in tears again. “Mom, I don’t know if I can do this,” she said. “I’m so tired all the time, and the kids need so much from me.”

I wished I could tell her that everything would be okay, but the truth was that life was going to be hard for a while. Jake’s departure had left a gaping hole in their lives, both emotionally and financially.

As the months went by, Emily slowly started to rebuild her life. She found a job that allowed her to work from home part-time and enrolled the kids in daycare so she could have some time to herself during the day. It wasn’t easy, but she was managing.

I still feel guilty for giving her such an ultimatum, but deep down, I know it was the right thing to do. Sometimes tough love is the only way to make someone see the truth.