On a typical Tuesday evening, I walked into my in-laws’ house to find my children with completely empty plates, while their nieces and nephews were eating their third helping of lasagna from a “real” dinner set. Eighteen minutes later, I quietly decided I’d had enough of being their personal ATM, and that something in this family was about to go wrong in a way no one expected.

I wanted them to understand what they had lost, what they had wasted, by treating my children like disposable items.

“I want them to suffer the same way they hurt my children,” I said quietly. “Is that wrong?”

“It’s human nature,” Rachel said. “And honestly, maybe it’s necessary. Some people only learn when they’re faced with real consequences.”

“I don’t even know where to begin.”

“Actually,” Rachel said, and I heard her tone shift from friend to lawyer, “you may have more options than you think. Weren’t you a co-signer on their mortgage?”

“Yes. Three years ago, when they refinanced their mortgage. Their credit rating was severely damaged by a previous foreclosure.”
Learn more
plates
plates
family members
Family
Kitchenware and Cutlery
family

Continue reading…