Man Kicking Mother Out for Calling Wife 'Trashy' Splits Opinions Online

A man who kicked his mother out of the house for insulting his wife is dividing opinions online.

Sharing his story with Reddit's Am I the A******? (AITA) forum on September 25, user u/CoverFew7481 said his mother called his wife "trashy."

The mother was unimpressed when the wife asked her to do laundry during her visit, leading to a debate on whether it's appropriate to ask a guest to do chores.

In-laws Are the Most Dreaded House Guests

A 2017 survey found that 59 percent of respondents hated having overnight guests. In-laws were the most-dreaded visitors, but coworkers were also an unpopular choice.

It seems the feeling is mutual, with 76 percent of participants preferring to stay in a hotel rather than at a friend or relative's home.

Forty-two percent of the 5,000 British people surveyed said they felt uncomfortable sleeping in a strange bed, while 20 percent hated showering at someone else's house. Other bugbears included not liking the host's pets and having to smoke outside, as well as not being able to watch what they want on TV.

From the host's perspective, research by automobile manufacturer Kia revealed that wiping greasy hands on the sofa is the worst thing that house guests can do. Surveying 2,000 U.K. adults, other faux pas included putting your feet up on the coffee table, going upstairs without asking, bringing a dog without checking first and going through the medicine cabinet.

'Rude'

In his post, CoverFew7481 said his mother and her boyfriend had recently come to meet his 6-month-old son. During the visit, his wife asked his mother to lend a hand with the laundry. He explained that he and his wife come from "very different families," with her request to do chores making his mother "furious."

"In my mom's world you don't ever ask a guest to do something like that," he wrote.

"In my wife's family they are very close, a bit suffocating at times to be honest, and everyone pitches in.

"For example, if we stay with my wife's family we are given chores. If we stay with my mom we are waited on like guests."

When the mother's boyfriend asked why she was doing laundry as a guest, she told him it was to avoid an argument.

The poster overheard him say: "To be clear, if my mom came over would you ever ask her to do work?"

To which the mother replied: "No, I'm not trashy."

Angry about the insult, the poster "saw red" and asked how "dare she" call his wife names.

"My mom tossed the things at me and said 'good, I can wash them as it isn't her house and she did not choose to bring our son into the world,'" he wrote.

"I said she crossed a line by calling my wife names in our own home. I told her to get the f*** out and she isn't half the woman my wife is.

"My mom told me we are both trashy and she is done with us. My grandparents were furious when they heard and chewed me out for being entitled."

Reddit users were split on who was in the wrong, with the post receiving 6,500 upvotes and over 1,000 comments.

"Don't visit a home with a newborn for more than 5 minutes if you don't intend to help them out," said Rohini_rambles.

"Good job standing up for your wife," wrote Substantial_Look_334. "Suspect this is not the first time she has bad-mouthed her."

"There's a difference between 'family' and 'company!" commented Scrapper-Mom.

"Maybe it's just me, but I would happily do laundry for my grandbabies if it would help make things easier for my kids."

However, others felt the poster was in the wrong, with RedditMerit456 calling the laundry request "rude."

"Giving chores to guests when they visit is considered rude by many people, including your mother and myself," they said. "And you know this."

Jrssister agreed, writing: "I wouldn't have called your wife trashy but I would have found her request very odd."

"Unless your mom is otherwise a bad person, this was stupid and shortsighted," commented veni_vidi_dixi. "Now you've created a big mess."

While arethusas felt the move was a "power play" on the wife's part, saying: "Six month old is not a newborn. The mother wasn't allowed to visit for the first 3 months because the wife didn't want her to.

"The wife doesn't see her as family or treat her as family, she shouldn't expect family level help from her."

CoverFew7481 told Newsweek that he and his mother are still not speaking, and he suspects she has now blocked him on social media.

"My wife is happy I stood up for her, [but] I am feeling some guilt," he said.

"The YTAs (You are the asshole) [votes] really got to me, because I feel like they have a solid point.

"We don't have the type of relationship where we should be asking her for anything."

We could not verify the details of the case.

Update 08/13/22 03.14 a.m. E.T.: This article was updated to include a quote from the poster.