With my father passing away recently, my mother has been feeling incredibly sad and alone. To help her cope with her grief, I thought it would be a good idea for her to move in with us so she could spend more time with her grandchildren.

Initially, my husband was completely against the idea. However, he eventually agreed – but only on the condition that my mom pays us rent. His suggestion left me livid since we own our house outright and don’t have to pay any rent ourselves.

He then went on to say, with a smirk, “Your mother is a leech. Once she moves in with us, she will never leave.”

He continued, “She will eat our food, use our electricity, and it just doesn’t make sense for her to take advantage of all of it for free. She needs to know that this house is not a hotel!”

I was beside myself with anger and frustration. Both of us contributed equally to buying our house, and we both have equal rights to make decisions regarding it. Asking my mom to pay us rent? That just felt utterly unreasonable and insensitive to me.

In fairness, my husband isn’t a bad person. The tension stems from the fact that he and my mom have never seen eye to eye. The other night, he confided in me, saying, “Your mother has disliked me from the first day we met. There’s no way I would feel comfortable having her live with us now.”

Now, I find myself caught in an emotional tug-of-war between my husband and my mom, who desperately needs the support of her only daughter during this difficult time. I honestly don’t know what to do. Should I stand by my husband or support my mom’s need for companionship and help?