Fiancée refuses to give entitled mother-in-law free hair appointments at salon she owns:

Author image for Ally Perry
Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Aug 2, 2025 9:00 PM EDT

When I was younger, my grandma used to take pleasure in telling me that the main relationship advice she always gave my mom and uncle was to marry someone with practical skills. She reasoned that being with somebody who knew how to fix a leaky tap or hem an item of clothing would always make their lives easier in the long run. Neither of them listened and proceeded to choose the most impractical partners imaginable (they had other strengths), so she never got to test that particular nugget of wisdom.

Marrying into a family when you have a useful talent or several can sometimes prove to be a curse because all of a sudden, there are a bunch of people who feel entitled to your expertise. While the occasional favor, family discount, or exchange isn't out of the question, most of those who earn their living through said skill don't want to be exploited for their labor.

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  • 01

    Entitled future mother-in-law demands free salon service because I'm marrying her son.

    I 28F have been dating my boyfriend Patrick 30M for two years. We both know each other's families, but we chose not to make our relationship public until we were ready to get married. Well, last month we finally made it official and informed his family that we are getting married. While we were with his family, his mom asked me about my livelihood. I told her I'm a hairstylist and that I own a salon about an hour from their house. Her response?
    via Seraphina_xo55
  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 10537057536
    via Getty Images (UNsplash+)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Nonetheless, some family members try to do exactly that, as one woman discovered with her mother-in-law-to-be. Upon discovering that she owned her own hair salon, she decided that this meant she and other relatives were now entitled to free hair appointments.

    After the MIL asked her for a free session at home on the same day she asked for it, the hair stylist informed her that she wouldn't be providing an on-demand free service. She told her story.

  • 03
    "Oh wow, at least now we don't have to pay to get our hair done again! We'll start with ours first so we can see how good you are before you officially become my daughter-in- law." I just smiled and didn't say anything. Fast forward three days later, she calls me. After the usual small talk, she says: "Please, where's your salon located again?"
    via Seraphina_xo55
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    Cheezburger Image 10537057792
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 05
    gave her the address, and she goes: "Oh, that's far. I can't come all the way there. I'll need you to come today to braid my hair." So I asked what style she wanted and told her the price for home service. Her response? "No, I'm not paying for it. After all, you'll soon be my daughter-in-law." I politely told her I don't offer free home service especially not for an hour-long trip and then I hung up the call.
    via Seraphina_xo55
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    via Shari Sirotnak
  • 07

    Commenters disapproved of the mother-in-law's attitude, and felt the woman's partner should be more involved.

    Wise_Entertainer_970 Wow, the nerve of her. Your fiancé needs to deal with his family.
    via Wise_Entertainer_970
  • 08
    Seraphina_xo55 OP I told my fiance about the call conversation he apologized and said he will talk to her about it.
    via Seraphina_xo55
  • 09
    pastelgigglesnug You did the right thing. Being family doesn't entitle anyone to free labor, your skills and time aren't up for grabs just because you're marrying her son.
    via pastelgigglesnug
  • 10
    Far-Juggernaut8880 My sister in law offers to do my hair for free... I thank her with a gift card that just happened to be the same as her service fee plus tip and later babysitting her kids for free everyday after school so she can work. That's how family works.
    via Far-Juggernaut8880
  • 11
    throne-away Exactly! My SIL owns a salon and does my wife's hair "for free." My wife tips her essentially the going rate for the service, plus buys dinner or drinks later on. That's just how you support family and friends.
    via throne-away
  • 12
    mrsrowanwhitethorn There is also a vast difference between an offer and a demand! You could trade babysitting for hair services (even without the gift card) and it would be more or less even. You could also accept the offer without a gift. OP's MIL is demanding free services! The audacity. Unreal!
    via mrsrowanwhitethorn
  • 13
    siejay Your fiancé has to set expectations with his mom. This is a deal breaker.
    via siejay
  • 14
    Srvntgrrl_789 NTA. Her priority should be to see if you're a good match for her son, and not how much free stuff/services she can squeeze out out of you. She's incredibly entitled. What does your fiancé think about his mom being a queen Karen?
    via Srvntgrrl_789
  • 15
    Murzley It's so sad that she does not demand ton pay double, instead, to support you (and by extension her son)
    via Murzley
  • 16
    No Arugula8915 NTA OP for shutting that down. My ex went through something like that. It started small and snowballed out of control. Because he didn't have a spine. He owned a garage. First it was his patents, then his brother, then aunts, uncles and cousins. Then their friends. It got to the point that he was turning down almost all the paying customers to accommodate family demands for free work. Don't do freebie work. You'll eventually be in a financial hole and have no business. You worked
    via No_Arugula8915
  • 17
    Legal-Lingonberry577 Well another response could have been that now that she's going to be your new mother, you expect three meals a day based on the menu you choose and have it deliver to your door. Along with laundry services and house cleaning. After all, family supports family, right?
    via Legal-Lingonberry577
  • 18
    Perfect Ring3489 Your fiancee needs to have word. If she wasnt so entitled she could have a discount. Thats your livelihood. Start as you mean to go
    via Perfect_Ring3489
  • 19
    kiaeej Ehhh. You support friends and family BY paying full price. You dont haggle. But they also DONT rip you off. You haggle with strangers and pure service providers...
    via kiaeej
  • 20
    deebay2150 Wait. The way you phrased it implies that you WILL do her hair for free if she goes to your salon. Is that the case? If so, What if she decides to extend that offer to all family members? Then to friends, because you know, they're just like family? Where do the freebies stop? Do they get priority over paying customers? I would put clear boundaries in place for everyone immediately.
    via deebay2150

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hair family drama daughter in law haircut mother in law family hairdresser reddit thread Reddit fiancee entitled people
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