Mother-in-law ruins Disneyland vacation for 8-year-old, mom considers cutting her off despite losing inheritance: 'I had a feeling I would regret it'

Ally Perry • Writer and Editor

Oct 7, 2026 9:15 AM EDT

What is the point at which it is acceptable to cut off a family member?

If you're lucky, your family is one of the greatest blessings you have in life, but not everybody gets to experience that. In fact, a large number of people struggle to find much that is positive about their close relatives. Whilst we all have our disagreements and rough patches in family relationships, there are some who take this to the next level. We are talking about the kind of stuff that gets talked about in therapy sessions for years to come.

Family estrangement is not that uncommon: a total of 27% of US Americans have done it, with 10% going no-contact with either a parent or child. In this era when protecting your peace is the most important thing you can do, people are realizing that they do not have to put up with somebody's unacceptable behavior just because you are related to them. They might not be willing to change their personality, but you can make a change to your life.

At the same time, this method is not without its drawbacks. Ceasing contact with a problematic family member might mean that, by extension, you lose access to some relatives that you may still want to be around. Also, any relative who is bad enough to consider cutting off is likely to cause a stink about it, and on top of that, you can kiss goodbye to any potential inheritance.

All of this is before getting into the emotional complexities of never speaking again to somebody who shaped who you are, for better or for worse. There is a lot to consider, but there are individuals out there who are capable of some pretty crazy things that may leave you feeling like you don't have a choice.

*_{Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse statue at Disneyland Orlando. Still frame for contextual reference only.}*

Perhaps the biggest determining factor in somebody cutting a toxic relative out of their life is when kids end up being involved. Behaving badly towards an adult is one thing, but lashing out at defenseless children is often where people will draw the line. Most of all, it is important to make sure that unhealthy patterns do not have the chance to repeat.

A mom was left feeling like it was time to stop speaking to her mother-in-law after she ruined a family vacation. She had offered to cover part of the cost if she and her husband let her join on the holiday with their two kids, but the money saved didn't seem to be worth it. The MIL constantly talked down to her son and granddaughter, and behaved unacceptably towards other people.

The parents agreed that things couldn't continue like this, but they also knew that their children wouldn't receive an inheritance from their grandmother if they ceased all contact. It left them with a dilemma that felt hard to solve.