I’ve been with my boyfriend for 3 years and this is only the 2nd time we’ve had an “argument”. The first time was totally my fault because I was being insecure and I let that get the best of me.

My son had spent the night with my mom on Saturday and I picked him up yesterday (Sunday). Everything was fine, my boyfriend made dinner we ate... nothing wrong. Then my son brought up an app he’s been using when he is at my moms called tik-tok. I don’t let him have a cell phone at home because he doesn’t need one. My mom got my sisters old one and let’s him use it at her house...fine, idc, I just don’t like him on those apps at his age. (He’s 11). So my boyfriend got mad about it and kept saying my mom is just trying to buy his love/affection and spoils him non-stop, doesn’t care what he does or says, etc.

It all stemmed from my mom going off on me the day she picked him up over a punishment we gave him and my boyfriend was mad that I didn’t put my mom in her place and allowed her to disrespect me in front of my son. My boyfriend decided he was going to shut himself away from me (my son already went to bed). My boyfriend was having an attitude so I decided to confront him to find out what his deal was and that’s when he told me that if I don’t stand up to my mother, he will because he doesn’t like it when I just let people walk all over me and talk to me that way.

I understand where he’s coming from but there was no reason for him to act the way he did and I’ve been dealing with issues from my mom since the day my son was born. She’s never agreed with how I parent or anything I do as a parent. She always has something to say about anything and everything I do no matter what it is. She’s just always been that way.

My mom isn’t a stable person either. She lives place to place (has my whole life). Lives in debt or files bankruptcy every chance she gets, borrows money that she can’t pay back, etc. I totally get where he’s coming from but he doesn’t understand and still doesn’t, as to why I just simply let her yell at me and go about my business. Nothing I say or do will change her or how she acts so why bother?

Is he right though? Should I put her in her place? Does he have a right to be mad?

Maybe I just need some advice.