My DIL Started Dropping Off the Kids During My Book Club – I Gently Let Her Know It Wasn’t Okay

These days, I live alone in the house where I raised my children, and I’ve learned to keep myself plenty busy. After 42 years of marriage, losing my husband three years ago left a hole in my daily routine that I’m still learning to fill.

But I’ve had a good life with my family, and I’m not one to sit around feeling sorry for myself.

I have two wonderful children. My son, Michael, and my daughter, Sarah.

They’ve blessed me with four grandchildren total. Michael and his wife Nancy have two little ones, both toddlers who are bundles of energy. Sarah lives across the country with her husband and their two kids, so I don’t see them as often as I’d like.

But Michael’s family lives just 20 minutes away, and I see those grandkids all the time.

I love all my grandchildren deeply, and I’m always happy to help out when I’m needed. School pickups, surprise colds, last-minute work meetings… I was always there. No complaints whatsoever.

When little Emma got sick with the flu last month, I spent three days at their house making soup and reading stories. When two-year-old Jake had that terrible bout of teething, I walked the floors with him for hours so Nancy could get some sleep.

That’s what grandmothers do, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Recently, though, I decided to carve out one small thing just for myself: a monthly book club with a few close friends from church and the neighborhood.

We’re not talking about gossip sessions over cookies. We take our reading seriously. We choose challenging books, discuss themes and characters, argue about plot points, and laugh together when someone completely misses the point.

It’s become my little corner of joy in this new chapter of my life. For three hours once a month, I get to be Martha the reader, not just Martha the grandmother and helper.

My daughter-in-law, Nancy, however, never bothered to hide her thoughts about my book club.

“A book club, seriously?” she laughed when I first told her about it. “How absolutely adorable, Martha. Like something out of a movie.”

Her tone made it clear she thought it was a silly waste of time for an old woman. Still, I didn’t let it bother me much. I wasn’t doing this for her approval anyway.

“We’re reading some fascinating books,” I told her. “This month, it’s a mystery novel that has the most incredible plot twists.”

She just smiled that patronizing smile and changed the subject to something she considered more important. Probably about needing me to pick up Jake from daycare again.

I should have seen the warning signs then. Nancy had always been the type to take advantage of kindness, but I’d written it off as the stress of being a young mother.

Looking back now, I realize she saw my book club as nothing more than an inconvenience that got in the way of her free babysitting service.

What happened next would test both my patience and my resolve in ways I never expected.

Just as we finally launched our first official book club session, after weeks of careful preparation and planning, Nancy dropped the kids off at my door.

It was a Thursday afternoon, and I was setting out teacups and arranging the coffee cake I’d baked that morning. The ladies were due to arrive in 30 minutes to discuss our first novel when I heard the familiar sound of Nancy’s car in the driveway.

Before I could even open the door properly, she was already unbuckling the kids from their car seats.

“Hi Martha!” she called out cheerfully. “Perfect timing! I need you to watch Emma and Jake for a few hours.”

“Nancy, I have book club this afternoon,” I said. “Remember? I mentioned it several times.”

“Oh right, your little reading thing,” she laughed. “Well, this won’t take long. Be back before dinner!”

And with that, she was already reversing out of my driveway, waving goodbye through her window. She didn’t hand me the diaper bag or snacks. Not even toys.

She didn’t even give me an explanation of where she was going or when she’d return.

Of course, I love my grandchildren dearly, but Emma and Jake are active toddlers. You simply can’t sip tea and debate complex plot twists when one child is drawing crayon masterpieces on your carpet and the other is systematically pouring apple juice into your houseplants.

My book club friends arrived to find me chasing Jake around the living room while Emma had somehow managed to empty an entire box of tissues across the floor. The ladies were gracious about it, but our carefully planned discussion turned into crowd control instead.

“Maybe we should reschedule,” suggested my friend Helen, dodging as Jake ran past with a wooden spoon he’d found somewhere.

The second time Nancy pulled this stunt again (without any advance notice), my book club friends had officially had enough of her behavior.

“Martha, you’re going to have to handle this situation,” my friend Dorothy said firmly after we’d spent another afternoon trying to discuss literature while preventing toddler chaos. “If you don’t set boundaries now, she’ll keep steamrolling right over you.”

“She’s taking advantage of your good nature,” added Helen. “This isn’t fair to you or to us.”

They were absolutely right, and I knew it.

Nancy was treating me like her personal on-call babysitter, not respecting my time or my commitments. The book club meant something important to me, and she was deliberately dismissing that.

That night, I sat in my quiet house and came up with a plan.

If Nancy wanted to play games with boundaries and respect, then it was time for this old grandmother to teach her a lesson she wouldn’t soon forget.

***

The next time Nancy dropped off the kids right before book club, I smiled sweetly, nodded, and waited exactly ten minutes after she’d driven away.

Then, I bundled up Emma and Jake, loaded them into my car with their car seats, and drove straight to wherever Nancy had gone. This time it was her yoga class at the community center downtown.

I walked right into that yoga studio, carrying Jake on my hip with Emma holding my hand, and found Nancy in the middle of her downward dog pose.

“Nancy, dear!” I called out cheerfully, using the exact same tone she always used with me.

She looked up, horrified, as the entire class turned to stare.

“I need you to watch the kids for a couple of hours,” I announced, using her exact words. “You don’t mind, right?”

Before she could protest, I gently set Jake down next to her yoga mat and guided Emma over to sit beside him.

“Thanks so much, sweetie!” I said brightly, then walked right back out of that studio.

I did this every single time she tried her drop-and-run routine again. Hair appointment at the salon? I showed up with the kids. Brunch with her girlfriends at that fancy restaurant downtown? There I was, diaper bag in hand.

Each time, I used her exact words and her exact cheerful tone, “Just for a couple of hours. You don’t mind, right?”

Then I’d drive off, leaving her to figure out how to handle two toddlers in whatever inappropriate setting she’d chosen for herself.

After the third time, when I interrupted her book club meeting at the local coffee shop, Nancy finally snapped.

“You can’t just drop the kids on me without any warning!” she yelled when she came to pick them up later. “I had important plans! That was completely embarrassing!”

I raised an eyebrow and folded my arms calmly.

“Oh, you had plans?” I said quietly. “Important plans? Like I did during my book club meetings?”

She fumed, her face turning red with anger and frustration.

I leaned forward slightly, keeping my voice calm.

“Nancy, if you want me to watch the children, all you have to do is ask nicely and give me some advance notice. I’m always happy to help my family. But if you continue to treat me like your personal doormat, dropping kids off whenever it’s convenient for you, then I’ll keep doing exactly what you taught me to do. Drop and run.”

She opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again. For once in her life, Nancy didn’t have a smart comeback ready.

“The choice is entirely yours, dear,” I added with a sweet smile.

She didn’t say another word that day.

But you know what? My book club meetings have been peaceful and uninterrupted ever since. I guess she learned her lesson.

My Grandson Called Me Insane and Locked Me In a Nursing Home to Steal My Hotel, but I Showed Him What Crazy Really Looks Like — Story of the Day

My grandson called me insane and locked me away to take my hotel, thinking I was too old and weak to fight back. But he forgot one thing—never underestimate a woman who built her life from nothing. I showed him what real madness looks like, and it was not what he expected.

All my life I had worked for the sake of my family so that my son and my grandchildren would have everything they desired. And all for what?

So that a few months after the death of my only son, my grandson would take me to a nursing home?

Jake had grown up a spoiled child who had never heard the word “no,” and then became the same spoiled adult who wouldn’t accept refusal.

I was almost sure he could have thrown himself on the floor and had a tantrum if he were not constantly seeking approval from those around him.

At seventy-five, I was the owner of a successful business—a hotel—but it had not always been that way.

When my son was three, I took him and we ran away from my terrible ex-husband, fleeing with almost nothing, no money, no belongings, only a car and a small backpack with children’s things.

We walked a long and hard road from poverty to success. And although I tried to do everything possible so my son wouldn’t lose his childhood, he remembered what it was like to live in poverty.

So when he became a father himself, he never denied his children anything.

That’s why Jake had grown up this way. He didn’t know what hard work was or how difficult it was to earn money. He thought he could get everything just because he was who he was.

That was why, when I was holding a meeting for the hotel staff a few days ago, Jake calmly walked into my office.

“From now on, I will be in charge of this hotel,” he said. “My grandmother is already an old woman and she’s out of her mind, so it’s reckless to allow her to continue working in the hotel.”

My eyebrows shot up at these words.

“Who gave you the right to decide that?” I asked.

Jake pulled some piece of paper from his pocket.

“This certificate. It states that you’re completely insane,” he said.

“How dare you speak like that!” I shouted. “I changed your diapers and wiped your bottom, young man! Do not pretend you are smarter than me!”

“See, that’s exactly what I’m talking about.” Jake turned to the staff. “This woman, as much as it pains me to admit it, is not sane. And it’s dangerous to leave the business in her hands because everything could be lost.”

“Know your place, boy!” I shouted.

“Don’t worry, Grandma, everything will be fine,” Jake said. He approached me, then firmly grabbed me by the elbow. “I’ll take you home.”

Jake led me outside, put me in his car, then sat behind the wheel.

“What kind of show are you putting on?!” I shouted at him. “I lost my son a few months ago, and now you’re making a fool of me?!”

“Don’t forget he was my father,” Jake said.

“Who failed at raising you. Your father was an honest and good man. He would be ashamed if he saw you now,” I said.

“Then it’s good he doesn’t see me,” Jake said with a smirk.

“What a jerk you’ve grown into. Where did you even get this certificate? I didn’t undergo any examinations,” I added.

“You just need to know when and who to pay,” Jake said.

These past few days, there had always been one of Jake’s people near me, watching my every move.

He told everyone else it was for my safety, but I knew he did it for his own.

Until he finally took me to a nursing home, it was a nice complex, for which I was sure Jake had paid a lot, all to make others see what a good grandson he was.

Jake parked by the nursing home and helped me out of the car. I already saw a young and pretty nurse coming to meet us.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked. “You always had everything you wanted.”

“Not enough. You see, grandma, business is like chess. You need a strategy and to calculate your moves in advance,” Jake said.

“And who taught you to play this game, fool?!” I shouted at him.

“Now, now, no need to shout,” Jake said. “You will live your retirement peacefully. I don’t see what the problem is.”

“You did not just take the business. You took the people who work in this hotel, and unlike chess pieces, they’re alive and have a sense of reason. It won’t even be a month before you lose all the staff,” I said.

“They’re just pawns,” he said.

“But without them, there’s no game,” I said.

At that moment, the nurse approached us.

“Martha, we’re glad to welcome you to our facility. My name is Emma. I’ll show you around and take you to your room,” she said.

I saw how Jake winked at her and how Emma’s face twisted at that.

“Maybe you’ll give me your number too? So I can check how my grandma’s doing here?” he asked.

“You can find our number on the website, along with all the information you’ll need. Have a good day,” Emma said to Jake and led me on a tour.

For several weeks, I lived in the nursing home. Don’t get me wrong, it was a wonderful place—friendly staff, wonderful residents— but it was still my golden cage, and I was not going to live in captivity.

Emma helped me a lot not to lose my mind. She walked with me, asked about my life, about the business, and she often played chess with me.

And I had to say, she played quite well, much better than Jake. But all this time, I had been devising a plan to get out and show Jake his place.

“May I ask you something?” Emma said during another chess game.

“Of course, dear,” I replied.

“I don’t usually do this because it’s forbidden. But your grandson… he said you had mental problems, but you…” Emma hesitated.

“Look absolutely normal?”

Emma nodded.

“Because that’s exactly how it is. My dear grandson forged a certificate claiming my incapacity to take my hotel and lock me up here,” I said.

“That’s horrible…” Emma said.

“Yes, but I have a plan. And I need your help with it,” I said.

“Me?” Emma asked in surprise.

I moved the queen to the square from which it threatened her king.

“Check,” I said.

My plan was quite simple, but I could not possibly carry it out alone. I needed Emma’s help. And I wasn’t sure she’d agree.

“You want me to seduce him??” Emma asked in surprise when I told her everything.

“I saw how he looked at you. That won’t be a problem. The question is, are you ready for it?” I asked.

“If what you say is true, then I’m sorry, but your grandson is a terrible person,” Emma said and looked me in the eyes. “I’ll help,” she finally said, which made me smile.

But that was not the only problem. We had to figure out how to get me out of there.

“I can do it, but…” Emma said.

“But what?” I asked.

“I could lose my job and license,” Emma said.

“No, then it’s not worth it. We’ll figure out something else, I can pretend to have a heart attack and then they’ll call an ambulance,” I said.

“They’ll treat you here. There’s no other way, Martha, I’m ready to take the risk,” Emma said and I nodded with uncertainty. My heart ached that this kind soul might lose her job because of me.

I tried several more times to dissuade her, but Emma stood her ground. She reminded me so much of myself in my youth that sometimes it seemed she was my real granddaughter, not Jake.

The next day, Emma went to the hotel to meet Jake. Before that, she had called him and said she really wanted to see him.

From her voice, I could feel how satisfied he was, because Jake was used to always getting what he wanted.

We had only one attempt to do this, because the next day Jake was throwing a party at the hotel in honor of becoming the new owner, and it was at this party that I planned to reveal his true nature.

Emma returned a few hours later and came into my room.

“How did it go? Are you okay?” I asked.

I listened to it and couldn’t stop smiling. That idiot said everything we needed.

The next day, Emma carefully took me out of the nursing home and we went to the hotel, trying to stay unnoticed.

I asked her to find me some clothes that had been left at the nursing home and dressed in a way to look like a crazy city woman.

We entered the hotel and Emma ran to find access to the speakers, while I used all my acting skills.

I limped, knocked over glasses, laughed loudly, smeared myself with food. And finally, I attracted the attention of my grandson.

“What are you doing here?!” he shouted.

“Oh, my grandson! I thought you arranged this party for me! You are so kind!” I said as loudly as possible to call the attention of as many people as possible. “You wanted me to be crazy?” I whispered to him quietly.

“You’re going to ruin everything for me!” he hissed.

“Oh, microphone!” I explained as I went up to the stage. “Now there’ll be karaoke!” I announced into the mic.

The music stopped and everyone looked at me. I cleared my throat and finally spoke.

“My grandson wanted everyone to see me like this. But at seventy-five, I’m completely in my right mind. And if you, Jake, thought you could beat me, you’re wrong,” I said, then looked at Emma and nodded. On the speakers, the recording of their conversation played…

“This is a strange question, but I noticed that your grandmother is normal. Did you take her to the nursing home to take the hotel?” Emma asked.

“Why are you asking this?” Jake said fearfully.

“Well, I just think that smart and powerful men are very hot, so I want to make sure you’re one of them,” Emma said playfully.

“Yes, I did it on purpose,” Jake said proudly. “I always get what I want. Grandma didn’t want to give me the hotel, so I took it.”

“You’re so cool,” Emma said.

“Yes, I am. The people in this hotel are just pawns, and I’m the king,” Jake boasted.

The recording ended and the room filled with murmurs. People gasped and whispered among themselves.

From the staff, I began to hear, “I quit.” One by one, the employees shouted this. The guests began to leave, talking about what a horrible person Jake was.

Jake ran onto the stage.

“No, no, that’s not true. Are you really going to listen to a crazy old woman?” he asked into the microphone, but no one stopped.

“Maybe you’re the king,” I said. “But you forgot that the strongest piece is the queen. It seems you still haven’t learned how to play, Grandson. Checkmate,” I added.

After that, the security removed Jake from the hotel. I took back what was mine and approached Emma.

“You were magnificent,” Emma said.

“None of this would have happened whout you,” I reminded her.. “So just ‘thank you’ would not be enough. My other grandson lives in Europe, and Jake will definitely not get this hotel, not even over my dead body. I want it to go to you.”

“No, you can’t be serious, I can’t,” Emma began.

“I know you’ll always be guided by your kindness, so I want to pass the hotel to you,” I said.

“Martha, that’s too much. I won’t be able to handle it,” Emma said.

“If I’m right, and you’re like me, then you can do anything,” I said.

Emma hugged me tightly and I hugged her just as tight.

Tell us what you think about this story and share it with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day.

If you enjoyed this story, read this one: When we hired a new nanny, everything seemed perfect at first. But soon, I noticed the way she looked at my husband, the way he changed around her—it all pointed to one thing. I thought she was after him. But I was wrong. What she really wanted was something even closer to my heart. Read the full story here.

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