Once my mother-in-law came to us, announcing that she would stay with us, and what I was afraid of came true.

My grandmother left me a countryside house as an inheritance. My husband and I decided to turn it into our summer cottage. The house is quite cozy, with a beautiful garden that allows us to escape the city hustle on weekends. Our children also love the cottage. They eagerly await the weekends to leave the city and run barefoot on the green grass.

This summer, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law with three children – aged 9 to 13 – visited us at the cottage. They arrived without warning, smilingly announcing that they would be staying for the entire vacation. At first, I didn’t mind because the house is spacious and there’s enough room for everyone. Little did my husband and I realize that we’d be counting down the days until the end of the vacation. First of all, the garden.

Everything fell on my husband and me. Throughout the summer, none of our guests offered to help us. I asked my husband to talk to his family, explaining that they came to the cottage that legally and rightfully belongs to me for the entire summer, yet they didn’t even attempt to contribute.

He talked to them, they mumbled something, and the issue was forgotten. The breaking point came when our eldest son lost his patience. He was tired of my mother-in-law bossing me around with various tasks.

“Grandma, I think you’re not handling this right. Mom works here from morning till night, and you’ve treated this place like a resort. Everyone wants to relax here, especially mom. Instead of relaxing, you should be helping her, and what kind of example are you setting for the grandchildren?” My mother-in-law and sister-in-law caused a big scene. They started packing their things dramatically, but before leaving, they said they would definitely come back next summer, adding at the end, “Maybe your son will have some sense by then.”I didn’t argue, but my husband decided to put an end to it: “No one will be serving anyone here. If you want to relax, go to a sanatorium.” After that, we finally breathed freely. We haven’t received any calls from them since. What a relief!