A 36-year-old woman turned to the internet for advice after kicking her 72-year-old mother-in-law out of her house late at night. While the two usually got along, tensions rose when the older woman moved in to help prepare for the arrival of the woman’s first baby. What started as a kind gesture soon crossed boundaries the woman couldn’t ignore.

The woman and her husband often hosted his mother for holidays, and although she could be overbearing, the woman appreciated her warmth. However, her mother-in-law had strong opinions on how things should be done, especially around the kitchen, often rearranging things and insisting her way was best.

Things took a turn when the mother-in-law moved in permanently to assist with preparing for the baby. Wanting to be helpful, she began cleaning — but her definition of cleaning meant purging anything she didn’t approve of. The woman, a lover of garage-sale trinkets, came home one day to find her home ransacked and many of her treasures gone.

To make matters worse, her mother-in-law had taken several bags to Goodwill without permission. Furious, the woman confronted her, only to be told the baby needed a cleaner space. When her mother-in-law tried to leave with another bag, the woman snapped and told her to leave immediately.

Despite it being 9:30 p.m., the woman booked her a hotel and called a taxi. Her husband was livid when he found out, accusing her of being ungrateful. Now she wonders: did she overreact, or was she right to set firm boundaries before her baby arrived?