Man Allows Sister to Move in with His Family If She Follows 1 House Rule, but She Doesn't Listen

Man Allows Sister to Move in with His Family If She Follows 1 House Rule, but She Doesn't Listen https://ift.tt/BDHYNib

Setting boundaries with relatives can be harder than expected, even when the rules seem straightforward

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NEED TO KNOW

• A father set a clear rule that his sister could not smoke in his house or near his kids while staying with them
• When she repeatedly broke the rule, he asked her to leave, even though she had nowhere else to go
• The decision caused tension with his wife and mother, leaving him unsure if he overreacted

Family boundaries can be challenging to navigate, especially when living in close quarters, as balancing respect for relatives with the well-being of your immediate family often creates tension.

One father recently shared his experience with this delicate balance on Reddit, sparking debate about where to draw the line after allowing his sister to move into his home.

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Stock image of woman with kids.

“My sister was staying with us temporarily. Before she moved in, I was very clear about one rule: I don’t care if she smokes, I just don’t want it inside the house or around my kids,” he wrote in the post.

Despite their agreement, he caught her smoking in the house or near his children on several occasions.

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Each time, when he reminded her of the rule, she dismissed his concerns, saying he was “overreacting.” Eventually, he warned her that if it continued, she wouldn’t be able to stay with them.

When the rule was broken yet again, he told his sister she needed to leave. However, this decision sparked conflict within the family.

His sister began telling relatives that he kicked her out “over nothing.” At the same time, his wife, though agreeing with the rule, was upset and thought he should have “handled it differently or given her one more chance since my sister doesn’t really have anywhere else to go.”

Adding to the stress, his mother criticized him heavily, saying he had “embarrassed the family and abandoned my sister when she needed help.”

The father admitted he felt torn between protecting his children and managing family expectations.

He noted that despite the backlash, he still believed that his "kids’ health should come first,” but the criticism from his wife and mother caused him to second-guess his choices.

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Stock image of a lighter.

Commenters not only supported the original poster’s decision to kick out his sister but also shared their own experiences of removing family members who ignored their smoking rules.

“If you don't draw a line in the sand, no one else will,” one user wrote, while another pointed out that his sister needed to accept it wasn’t her home.

“To be honest even if you didn’t have kids it’s YOUR house. Your rules! If you don’t want someone smoking there then no smoking,” they wrote.

“You didn’t over react, you stated the rules, you gave the warning and you set boundaries. Don’t let them gaslight you that how you feel is wrong. No is no and she can go smoke at someone else’s house!”