It is not always easy to confront a family member’s unhealthy patterns. In a Reddit story, a 23-year-old man shared an uncomfortable interaction he had with one of his partner’s mothers, which had him wondering if he might have overstepped.

The Redditor was confronted by his own personal ethics and the need to break a concerning habit. He started the story by explaining that he was in a committed relationship with his 25-year-old girlfriend, Kelly, who had two wonderful mothers, Gina, 64, and Stacy, 71.

The boyfriend got along well with his partner’s mothers, but he mentioned early on in the story that one of his pet peeves was a person who lied. According to his girlfriend, Stacy had a history of lying. The boyfriend hated it even more because he witnessed how it negatively affected his girlfriend.

However, one day the Redditor went to run errands with Stacy, and she mentioned she had forgotten her wallet. The boyfriend did not think much of it because he understood it was a mistake everyone made. In fact, it was even more expected from a 71-year-old who had many things slip her mind.

So, the Redditor had no problem paying for her things, as she had also said she would pay him back as soon as they got home. As he was recounting the day to Kelly, he was surprised when she asked if Stacy had asked him to pay for something.

He told her he did, and Kelly said this was part of Stacy’s strategy that she did to everyone. “She claims she ‘forgot’ her wallet, asks you to pay, promises to pay you back, but almost never follows through,” the Redditor wrote.

This was very upsetting to the Redditor, he explained, “I also don’t like to be lied to and had not experienced Stacy lying to me yet. It’s also not even about money for Stacy, as she has quite a bit to her name, no debt, and Gina pays most of the bills.”

One day, Stacy asked Kelly’s boyfriend to run errands with her again, and after what Kelly told him, he made sure to ask her if she had everything and continued to list things like her wallet, phone, and keys. But Stacy confirmed she had them all.

Just to make sure again, the Redditor asked if Stacy was certain, and she insisted she had all her things. After running some errands, they stopped at a drug store, and Stacy asked the boyfriend to grab her something while he was in there and claimed she forgot her wallet again.

The Redditor was shocked because he had asked her multiple times about her wallet, and she insisted she had everything, so he gave a glimpse of how the confrontation went.

Redditor: “I thought you said you had everything you needed before we left.”

Stacy: “I did, I guess I was wrong.”

Redditor: “You said you checked.” Stacy: “I did.”

Redditor: “So did you lie to me about having your wallet, or did you lie to me about checking for it?”

Stacy: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Redditor: “Do you really not have it with you, or are you lying about that too?” Stacy: “Why are you having an attitude with me?”

Redditor: “Why did you lie to me?”

Stacy: “It’s not a big deal. If you don’t want to help me, then I’m going home.”

Redditor: “I don’t have an attitude, I’m just not going to deal with you lying to me. Lying has consequences.”

Stacy retreated into a cold silence until they got home. Kelly also told him that Stacy had not come out of her room since they went out to run errands, which now got the Redditor wondering if he had gone overboard and turned to Reddit users for advice.

People in the comment section were on his side. One commenter said this was a long habit that Stacy had gotten used to doing without ever being confronted. So, her choice to isolate was both reflective of her embarrassment and anger.

Another commenter reiterated, “NTA. At best, what Stacy is doing is lying; at worst, she is stealing from you as she promises to pay you back and then doesn’t. Lying has consequences, and it is time Stacy experiences those consequences.” Many more shared the same sentiments, adding that it was great that the Redditor confronted Stacy because it was time for her to rethink her behavior and habits.

Here is a story about a woman who taught her in-laws a lesson after they conveniently forgot their wallets.

All through my life, my Mom has always had my back. She’s been my biggest support throughout everything — including the fact that she accepted me dropping out of law school because the pressure was too much at the time.

You see, my Mom wasn’t rich, but when she passed away, she left me everything she had — all the savings that she had put away for me.

Rather than squandering it, I decided to be responsible. I told my husband David that we should put some of it away for our dream house. I also decided to use some of it to continue my studies — it was a long-time shared dream of Mom and mine that I would be a lawyer.

The best part about it all was that I had David’s support. He didn’t expect me to use all of my inheritance. Instead, he played a vital role in everything, contributing almost all his salary to our shared dreams.

Now for the plot twist.

While David and I are saving up for our home, we’ve been renting a place with David’s parents. And they had a very different interpretation of the situation — somehow, they were convinced that I had become a millionaire overnight, yet they never explicitly mentioned the money.

Nonetheless, they found a cunning way to take advantage of me.

Our family loves dining out — we enjoy eating at different places and experiencing different cuisines.

“Restaurant hopping will be our thing until we can travel to places,” David always joked.

Since the inheritance came in, every restaurant outing has turned into a game of “wallet roulette.” Guess who always ends up footing the bill?

Yours truly — usually because my in-laws would purposely leave their wallets at home.

Tired of being the perpetual dinner sponsor, I decided to turn the tables.

Come Friday, we went out to dinner as usual. As luck would have it, my in-laws went to the car first, and I spotted their wallets casually resting on the table next to the door.

I put on my shoes while waiting for David to come downstairs so we could leave.

“I think your parents forgot their wallets,” I said, standing up.

“Don’t they always?” he asked. “Here, put them into your bag.”

So, we got to the restaurant and enjoyed the Chinese food I craved the entire week. David probably ate his weight in spring rolls.

Then, as the bill arrived, I, with a feigned innocence, claimed that I had forgotten my bank card at home. The in-laws, with their trademark smiles put in place, mirrored by forgetfulness and looked to David.

But just as they thought they had won another round, David intervened.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I put your wallets in Julia’s bag as we left the house. You can cover dinner this time.”

The shift in the room was palpable. You could almost hear the gears grinding to a halt as the reality of the situation sank in for my in-laws.

Don’t get us wrong, we weren’t trying to take advantage of them — it was so much more than that. See, my in-laws knew we were saving up for our dream home — a home they were also moving into because David felt responsible for them. But despite knowing this, they never tried to help us save up.

The silence took over for a while, and David glanced at me.

Eventually, my father-in-law stretched out his arm and asked for his wallet.

“Thanks, Son,” he said. “I’ve got this one.”

He even left a big tip for the waiter, which we knew was just an attempt to save face.

“Thanks, Dad,” David said. “You know, we’ve got to share the responsibility of family dinner. Surely, you cannot expect to cash in on Julia’s inheritance every time we go out. She has plans for that money, and you must respect it.”

I grabbed David’s hand beneath the table, feeling seen and appreciated.

“I’ve got it next time,” my mother-in-law chirped, breaking open a fortune cookie.

Over the following weeks, the in-laws would take out their wallets first whenever we went to a restaurant. But as David said, we all needed to share the responsibility and take turns.

It’s been a while now, and the in-laws have yet to revert to old ways. They have begun to appreciate the significance of financial responsibility and respect myself and David.

It hasn’t been a complete transformation because David and I still have to cover all the other expenses at home, but it is a step in the right direction. My mother-in-law also opts to cook without me asking now because she knows I study after work.

What about you? Have your in-laws tried to take advantage of you?