I asked my older parents to decide if they want to stay in my garage or go to a nursing home.

A lady said her parents could live with her, but they didn’t like it. So, she asked them to decide if they wanted to stay with her or go to a nursing home.

A lady on Reddit, who’s a widow and lives alone, told that her kids moved out. Even though she has a big house with five bedrooms, she turned some into offices and hobby rooms.

To make space for her kids when they visit, she changed her garage into a guest house with its own entrance.

Exterior of a suburban home with blue siding, a white front porch, and white shutters.

She said to her kids, “You’ll stay in the guest house during holidays.” They said okay, but things changed when her parents needed help.

What’s the deal with the woman’s parents?

The lady built the guest house for her kids, but her parents wanted to move in. She said okay and informed her kids.

She explained that if they wanted to visit, they’d have to stay inside the main house because the grandparents were taking the guest house. The kids agreed.

On moving day, the children came to help move the grandparents into the garage. They planned that one family would stay in a hotel to make things easier.

But her parents got puzzled when the family moved stuff into the garage. The lady explained that the garage was where her parents would live, saying,

“They thought they could stay in my house because I have five bedrooms.”

She said she had just two bedrooms because she turned the others into offices and hobby rooms. The extra bedroom was mostly for her dogs.

What was the response from the woman’s parents?

The lady told her parents she didn’t think they’d want to stay inside the house and assumed they’d prefer the garage, which had its own bathroom and kitchen. Her parents weren’t pleased about it.

Even though the guest house had everything for a good life, the woman’s parents were still sad and mad. She complained,

“They wanted the house, not the garage like Fonzie.”

She told them they had to stay in the garage. Then she explained they could choose between the room she set up for them or a nursing home.

The lady was surprised her parents were unhappy about staying in a decent garage without rent. People on Reddit sympathized with her.

Someone thought her parents sounded spoiled, saying if she let them in her house, they might take over, and she’d struggle to get them to leave.

Someone else on Reddit believed the lady’s parents wanted the main house so she could take care of cooking and cleaning for them.

Another person shared a story about their friend who made a nice guest house for their parents, and they’re happy with the privacy and being close to their child.

But a few folks felt the lady should have explained things clearly to her parents right from the start. They suggested she should tell her parents they could visit her in the main house occasionally but must respect her boundaries.

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