When my mother-in-law, Jean, offered to host my kids for a week during their holiday break, I hesitated but agreed, thinking it would be good bonding time. I gave her $1,000 for expenses and hoped for the best.
The week dragged by, and when I arrived to pick them up, something felt wrong. The house was eerily quiet. Jean greeted me cheerfully but evasively, claiming the kids were “helping in the garden.” When I found them outside, their faces were smeared with dirt, their clothes torn, and they looked utterly exhausted. They clung to me, telling me Jean had made them work all week, promising rewards that never came.
I confronted Jean, who admitted she used the money for her bills and justified the labor as “teaching responsibility.” Furious, I told her my children were not tools for her lessons or solutions to her problems. I gathered my kids and left, vowing not to return until she understood how to treat them with the love and care they deserve.
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