Relationships with a significant other’s family can be tricky. On one hand, establishing a good rapport with them is important—but also, respect is mutual. Recently, a Reddit user said she made her partner’s mom cry after enforcing their no-shoes house rule.
The girlfriend shared her plight on the AITA subreddit. In her February 2025 thread, the OP (original poster) explained that her boyfriend’s parents are now angry with her. But is she really the one at fault in this situation?
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The OP explained that her boyfriend has an ‘overbearing’ mom.
In her Reddit thread, the OP (a 20-year-old female) explained that she and her boyfriend, 24, have been dating for nearly two years. They live together, and his mother is “very involved” in his life.
“Some might say overbearing, but I try to be respectful,” she clarified. “She’s nice but has this way of like, pushing boundaries while acting like she means well.”
At their home, she and her partner have a no-shoes house rule.
The OP explained that she has a “no shoes in the house” rule. Although her boyfriend and their friends have no issue with it, the boyfriend’s mom refuses to remove her shoes in their home.
“She claims it’s ‘rude to ask guests to take their shoes off’ and that it makes her feel ‘disrespected,'” she detailed. “I’ve tried explaining that it’s just a cleanliness thing but she won’t budge.”
Things recently came to a head.
Recently, the boyfriend’s mother came over and walked in with her shoes on.
“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?'” the OP recounted. “And I just stood there waiting.”
The girlfriend continued, “She sighs dramatically, takes them off, and spends the whole visit sulking.”
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Evidently, she made the mom cry — and now, both parents are mad.
Later, the OP said she received a text from her boyfriend’s father saying that she made the mother cry and that the mom feels like she is “trying to assert dominance” over her in her “son’s home.”
“My bf is on my side but now his parents are acting like I’ve disrespected the Queen of England,” the OP added. “AITA for standing my ground on a very normal rule???”
Reddit users all agreed: The OP is NTA.
In the comments, Redditors were overwhelmingly on the OP’s side.
One person wrote, “NTA. 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.”
Another pointed out, “NTA. She is going out of her way to guilt you into letting her disrespect YOUR home. Buy some of those shoe covers they wear to crime scenes or put plastic grocery bags by the door and ask her to cover her shoes inside the home. Otherwise you can just offer an outside visit and she can keep her shoes on.”
Meanwhile, someone else agreed that the boyfriend needs to stand up to his mother.
They wrote, “The only reason she is doing it is because she knows her son won’t confront her to her face and have an actual adult conversation…She has no respect for you because you are taking her son away. When in reality your very presence makes his world more meaningful and colorful. He needs to set up and stand firm on boundaries with this mom.”
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