When I returned home from a business trip, something felt off. The house was quiet, and instead of my son Max greeting me, I found a chilling note from my mother-in-law, Linda, demanding over $3,000 for babysitting, citing nanny rates.

Shocked and hurt, I called her. Linda insisted she deserved payment for her week of care. Furious, I decided to treat her like hired help. I instructed Max to call her “Miss Linda” and paid her exactly what she asked. It strained the family deeply—Max was confused, and the warmth we once shared disappeared.