Struggling to Support My Mother While Preparing for Motherhood – Need Advice
As-salamu alaykum, please bear with me since English isn't my first language. I'm a 29-year-old woman seeking some guidance. My parents divorced when I was 21. Shortly after, I moved in with my mother but kept visiting my father a few times weekly to help with cooking and cleaning. At that time, I was studying but soon had to start working multiple jobs to support my mother financially. We moved into a bare apartment and had to buy everything ourselves since my mother was never allowed to work and had no savings. Because of these responsibilities, my studies took much longer-I spent seven years completing my courses and didn’t finish my bachelor's thesis. Instead, I focused on work, gaining several full-time jobs over time. I also went into debt trying to furnish our home and cover expenses. I could never say no to my mother because I wanted to make her happy and ease her pain after the divorce, which left her depressed and lonely. I’m the youngest of three siblings and the closest to my mother. My older brother struggles to support himself and only occasionally helps financially. My sister, who married around the divorce time, chose to focus on her own family and distanced herself from responsibilities. The stress affected my personal life; I had three broken engagements partly due to my mother’s fear of abandonment, as I was always the one caring for her. Two years ago, I married my husband, who kindly covered our wedding expenses and supports me. Yet, I hid my debts from him to protect my mother’s image and told my mom I could handle everything alone. But when my husband faced financial losses in his business, I wanted to help. Despite earning enough, my debts and supporting my mother with nearly half my salary made things tight. Eventually, he found out about the debts, and we argued. He paid most of them off, and I promised not to take on more, but I struggled because my mother kept needing support-she recently moved, and we had to buy new furniture. Now, I’m six months pregnant, and my husband and I plan for me to stay home for the first few years to care for our child, which I want too. However, I still secretly work a side job cleaning houses to manage financially. Hoping for support, I confided in my sister, but instead, she told my mother everything and blamed her for my debts. My mother reacted by cutting ties, saying she never asked for this and feels betrayed. She told me not to contact her anymore, and it’s been three days without a word. I’m unwell and can’t visit her now, and I don’t want my husband to know about this situation. I feel embarrassed, sad, and alone. Though my mother never directly asked me to go into debt, she would get upset when I said I had no money left. She enjoyed going out, shopping, and dining, and once when I suggested cutting expenses during unemployment, she stopped speaking to me for weeks. I understand her struggles with depression and feeling dependent, and I’m her only supporter. But I can’t keep going like this. Is it wrong to respect her wishes and stop sending her money until I’ve cleared my debts? Or would that be neglecting my duties as a daughter? I feel so torn and hope to find some advice on how to balance my responsibilities to my mother and my growing family.