Texas Heat, Mother-in-Law, and a Shed: A Recipe for Disaster?
Gather ’round, my dear readers. Today, I’m about to unravel a tale straight from the wild prairies of Reddit, where anything and everything can happen. Imagine you’ve got your popcorn in hand and your best ‘oh no they didn’t’ gasp ready, because this story—oh, honey—is a scorcher! Literally. 🥵
The Cast of Characters
Picture this: our protagonist, let’s call him Mr. Desperate, a humble Texan fellow whose biggest wish is to keep peace and sanity within his household. And then there’s his wife—Mrs. Sweetheart—bless her kind, butterfly-chasing soul, whose single desire in this arcane universe is to prevent her dear mother from sleeping on park benches. A noble quest, if not for, well, the sweat-inducing, soul-scorching Texan summer. Did I mention it was 95 degrees? Like, SATAN HIMSELF would call that ‘too damn hot’!
The Plot Thickens (Unlike the Air)
So, Mrs. Sweetheart, out of the goodness of her halo-wearing heart, proposes an idea so wild, so audacious, it deserves its own TMZ special. The plan? Move dear mummy dearest into…the shed. Yes, a shed. You know, that tiny house for lawn mowers and ghostly remnants of failed DIY projects?
Now, I don’t know what kind of Law & Order courtroom her mind lives in, but this divine idea comes with a few hiccups. Our Texan shed isn’t insulated, doesn’t have electricity, and it’s probably hotter than Hades himself in there. And let’s not gloss over the legality of it. This idea is so fundamentally flawed it makes Kanye’s Twitter rants seem sane by comparison. Mrs. Sweetheart insists that running an extension cord out to the shed is the perfect band-aid for the lack of fundamental human necessities like air conditioning. Honey, that’s akin to treating a gunshot wound with a Hello Kitty bandaid.
Enter: Mother-in-Law
Now, let’s talk about Mom. She’s not some random extra in this drama. She’s got real struggles—psychological ones, bless her heart. She lives on disability, which means she probably gets about as much financial support as a kid’s allowance for doing chores. So, she has a history of hopping from one relative’s couch to another, and now she’s looking at a shed as her new ‘crib’.
Ah, the smell of gasoline and lawn trimmings in the morning! Isn’t that every girl’s dream?
The Heart-to-Heart
Reader, think about it: Mr. Desperate is genuinely concerned for Mom’s safety. Not only would she be living in a glorified storage box sans air, but it’s downright illegal. Because, let’s face it, turning a shed into a living space ranks up there with other brilliant sustainability initiatives, like the time I tried to turn my closet into a wine cellar. Spoiler alert: My closet now smells like bad decisions and spilled Merlot.
And, they’ve got kids—two adorable daughters, one of whom is still in her diaper-wearing phase. Can you imagine the kind of example they’d set? ‘Hey sweetie, when life gets tough, you can live in the toolshed. Good luck and don’t mind the spiders!’
Roger’s Take
Let’s simmer this stew, shall we? Mr. Desperate, you’re not just NTA (Not The Asshole), you’re the unsung hero of this suburban drama. This whole ‘she’d be fine in the shed,’ thing is a one-way ticket to Disasterville, population: you all. The Texas sun can barbecue ribs from 20 feet away. Putting Mom out there in a metal box would be cruel and unusual punishment. Save those ‘creative housing solutions’ for HGTV, not your backyard.
Mrs. Sweetheart needs some gentle reality-check counseling to find a viable and humane solution. Maybe check out some local social services or extended family? The yard might work for Frisbee, but it ain’t solving your housing crisis.
So, there you have it, folks. Sometimes, love means saying no to potentially lethal DIY housing. Because in the battle of heart vs. sanity, even sanity deserves its moment in the sun—just not in a shed. 🚀
Original story
We live in Texas. It was 95 degrees outside today.
I’ll just start with that. My wife wants her mom to live in our shed until she can get back on her feet and find a place to live.
Our shed is not insulated and does not have electricity since it is for storing lawn equipment. I don’t even think that it’s something that can be lived in, either legally or just due to the heat and lack of ventilation.
She wants to just run an extension cord to it so she can have a fan or something. Please be kind to my wife, she is a caring person and doesn’t want her mom to be homeless, I just don’t think it’s feasible or legal, and is potentially dangerous.
Also her mother is not very likely to find new accommodations very quickly and we literally have no room in our house. 4 people in a relatively small 3 bedroom house, we have 2 daughters and 1 is only 2.
Her mom also has some psychological issues, nothing dangerous, that prevent her from reliably being able to provide for herself, due to this she lives on disability. The only way she has found places to stay in the past is by living with a relative and chipping in a small amount for rent.
AITA for not thinking this is possible or a good idea?