It is often a great feeling to treat family members to a good meal, especially when a special occasion calls for it. However, a woman posted on Reddit, saying how her in-laws were abusing her and her husband’s kindness and always assumed they would pay the bill.
When she finally brought the issue up, she was made to look like the rude daughter-in-law. Fortunately, she was still able to salvage their relationship.
A 37-year-old woman and her 40-year-old husband have developed a liking for eating out and called themselves “amateur foodies.” Fortunately, they are blessed with resources that allow them to enjoy dining in unique restaurants.
They sometimes ask their in-laws to join them once every three to four months. As the one extending the invites, the couple also pays for their parents’ meals. However, the woman’s in-laws may have gotten a different impression from their gestures.
Once, her in-laws asked them out for a meal. The restaurant was located near the parents’ house and was a new place to try for the couple. The woman thought nothing of it and believed her in-laws intended to join their interest in different food items.
Showing Entitlement to Free Meals
After dinner, the woman’s mother-in-law got the bill and immediately gave it to the woman’s husband without looking at the price. The husband was taken aback but still paid for the inexpensive meal without saying a word. The woman also kept her thoughts to herself.
However, her in-laws again invited them out to a more upscale restaurant that was somewhat pricey. They had already dined in the establishment in the past, so everyone knew the price range. Again, her mother-in-law slipped the bill towards her husband.
This time, the woman already noticed her mother-in-law’s doing and was not in favor of it. After a while, she commented about her in-laws always letting them pay the tab.
Another Invitation to Eat Out
One day, the woman’s husband mentioned to his mom about his wife’s achievement at work that merited her an award. Immediately, the mother-in-law suggested they celebrate in a very upscale restaurant. When the woman’s husband told her the plan while still on the phone, the woman asked, “Who’s paying?” She narrated:
“He ended the call quickly and called me rude. I told him I didn’t think we should have to pay every time his parents wanted to go to dinner and that they were using my award (which really wasn’t a big deal at all) to get a fancy night out.”
Her husband reasoned that they could afford to pay for all the dinners while their in-laws couldn’t. The woman’s remark made her in-laws feel embarrassed, like they were leeching off of their son’s wealth.
They wanted the woman to apologize and make up for what had happened. Her husband suggested they just eat at the restaurant his parents wanted to maintain peace.
On the other hand, the woman suggested they eat at a fancy restaurant for his parents’ anniversary instead. However, the in-laws wanted to have the meal already and suggested that splitting the bill was rude.
The woman received several comments on her Reddit post, many of whom sided with her. She later clarified that her husband has since apologized and realized that it wasn’t right for his parents to demand dinners at their expense. He also claimed that he felt cornered at that time and responded out of panic.
As their son, the woman’s husband dealt with his parents’ entitlement, while the woman apologized for hurting their feelings. However, it was agreed that the dinner would be held off until the anniversary. While the couple would still have their quarterly meals with the in-laws, they declined invites.
Do you think the woman was right to refuse to pay for her in-laws’ meals? Or should she have paid for them? What would you do in the woman’s place?
