Woman Says Boyfriend’s Mom Cried Over Their ‘No Shoes in the House Rule’ Because She Thinks It’s ‘Rude’ Toward Guests

A house rule about shoes is the sole reason for an ongoing rift between a woman and her boyfriend’s “overbearing” mom.

The 24-year-old girlfriend explained on Reddit’s “Am I the A——” forum that her 27-year-old boyfriend’s mother recently cried after an interaction the two women had about the couple’s “no shoes in the house” rule.

“His mom is very involved in his life (some might say overbearing, but I try to be respectful),” the woman began her Feb. 19 post. “She’s nice but has this way of like, pushing boundaries while acting like she means well.”

She then detailed how she and her boyfriend, who “have been together for almost 2 years and live together,” ask all of their guests to take off their shoes when they step inside their house to keep the floors clean.

“My bf is cool with it, all my friends do it no problem. But his mom refuses,” she continued. “She claims it’s ‘rude to ask guests to take their shoes off’ and that it makes her feel ‘disrespected.’ I’ve tried explaining that it’s just a cleanliness thing but she won’t budge.”

Things apparently escalated, the woman said, when the mom recently visited their home.

“Last weekend she came over and, surprise surprise, walked in with her shoes on,” the Redditor recalled. “I very politely (I swear) said, ‘Oh, can you take them off please?’ She kinda huffs and is like, ‘You’re really gonna make me do this?’ And I just stood there waiting. She sighs dramatically, takes them off, and spends the whole visit sulking.”

After the visit, the mom’s husband messaged their son’s girlfriend.

“I get a TEXT from my bf’s dad saying I made her cry and she feels like I’m ‘trying to assert dominance’ over her in her son’s home (our home, actually),” the girlfriend revealed. “My boyfriend is on my side, but now his parents are acting like I’ve disrespected the Queen of England.”

Wondering if she’s in the wrong for standing her ground on what she described as “a very normal rule,” she asked Redditors if she was in the wrong “for making my BF’s mom cry because of a ‘petty’ rule?”

Within hours of posing the question, the post ignited a rush of responses, with more than 1,700 comments addressing the shoes situation.

“NTA [not the a——],” many readers responded, with one person adding, “If your boyfriend is aligned, how’s he handling the situation? I’d expect him to call them and shut it down. The dad shouldn’t be attacking you, and your boyfriend should be standing up for you. It sounds like he agrees, but what’s he doing to solve the issue?”

The original poster responded, “He’s pretty nonchalant about it, understands she’s overbearing and rude but annoyingly doesn’t share my frustration with her attitude.”

Reacting to the woman’s comment, several Redditors told her that her boyfriend needs to start being more vocal about this issue too.

“This is just the beginning of the power struggle with her unless your BF puts her in her place,” one person emphasized. “For the love of all things holy, do not marry this man until something drastic changes.”