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By Maria Morava
Relationships Reporter
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A man's refusal to fund his in-laws' lifestyle despite his newfound financial success has gone viral.
In a post shared to Reddit, the original poster (OP), a man in his early 30s, shared how his wife's family criticized him during his early struggles to build a marketing business. They labeled him "lazy" and a "deadbeat" while he worked from home and juggled part-time trucking to provide a stable income. Now, they want in on his success. Since the post was published, it has received over 8,000 upvotes.
"In the last year however, I have grown my income from my business beyond what I was making in trucking," the OP wrote. "Her family has taken note, and they are constantly asking to go out to eat with us, hang out with us … then get mad when I never pay for the meals, the outing, the vacation."
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The OP continued: "I let my wife do whatever she wants with her money … But I make sure that she knows I don't want a dime of my money going to her family."
Many Reddit users praised his position, calling his in-laws' change of heart hypocritical.
"They were not just unsupportive but also outright hostile while you were putting in effort to build a decent business. They put you down and did not trust you," one person wrote. "Now they want you to 'be part of the family.' You were part of the family, and they literally kicked you out with their behavior."
"It's not because they were poor, its because they are entitled and have a false sense of what loyalty is," another user wrote. "Be glad you married the right one with your wife. If possible, I would go low contact with them."
An expert weighs in
Licensed mental health counselor Justine Carino spoke to Newsweek about the situation and how the OP should move forward in such a tense situation.
"This couple has to sit down and have many conversations about what they are comfortable and not comfortable with when it comes to financial expectations with extended family," Carino said. "And I say multiple conversations because this is going to be an ongoing conversation that can be fluid and flexible."
Carino also warned against decisions made out of spite. Instead, she suggested approaching the situation with a shared perspective. Disagreements over finances can strain even the strongest marriages, especially when in-laws are involved—and Carino said alignment between partners is crucial.
"I want this couple on the same page to avoid creating a triangle between the husband, wife and the in-laws," she said. "Once there's a triangle, things start to get messy, and the relationship will start to have a ton of tension...
"Assert the boundaries together."
Newsweek reached out to u/UXEGbm7tMy for comment via Reddit.
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