I retired, and an overwhelming sense of loneliness settled in. Only now, in my older years, do I truly
I do not want to live with my daughters family! Let me explain why. My daughter and her family found
“Mum, I’m Getting Married!” – Victor Exclaims Happily.
“That’s nice,” Sofia says with little enthusiasm.
“Mum, what’s wrong?” Victor asks, surprised.
“Nothing… Where are you planning to live?” his mother asks, narrowing her eyes.
“Here, of course! You don’t mind, do you? It’s a three-bedroom flat, surely we’ll all fit?”
“Do I have a choice?” she replies.
“Well, renting is out of the question…” Victor mumbles.
“So, I don’t have a choice,” Sofia sighs.
“Mum, rental prices are ridiculous these days! We won’t have enough left for food. We’re not here forever—we’ll work and save for a place of our own much quicker this way.”
Sofia shrugs. “Fine… You can move in and stay as long as you need, but I have two conditions: the bills get split three ways, and I am not the housekeeper.”
“Agreed, Mum, whatever you say,” Victor replies straight away.
They celebrate a modest wedding, and soon Sofia, Victor, and his new wife, Eva, are sharing the flat.
From day one, Sofia always seems to have urgent plans whenever the couple get home—she’s out, the pans are empty, and the flat is left a mess just as the newlyweds left it that morning.
“Mum, where have you been?” Victor asks one evening.
“You know, Victor, the Community Centre rang and invited me to join their Folk Choir—I do have a great voice, as you know…”
“Really?” Victor is surprised.
“Yes! You just forgot. There’s a bunch of other retirees there and we have the best time singing together. I can’t wait to go back tomorrow!” Sofia says cheerfully.
“And tomorrow is choir again?”
“No, tomorrow’s our literary night—we’re reading Shakespeare. You know how much I love Shakespeare.”
“Really?” Victor is surprised again.
“Yes! I’ve told you before! You never pay attention to your old mum,” she teases gently.
Eva listens silently to the entire exchange.
Since Victor got married, Sofia finds a new lease on life: she attends all sorts of groups for pensioners, makes new friends, hosts lively gatherings in the kitchen with tea, biscuits brought by friends, and marathon games of bingo. Sometimes she goes for walks or gets so lost in her favourite soaps she barely hears her son and daughter-in-law come home.
Household chores? Sofia is adamantly uninvolved, leaving everything for Victor and Eva. At first, they don’t complain. Eventually, Eva starts casting glances, then they mutter under their breath, Victor sighs loudly, but Sofia remains blissfully unaware and continues her busy social life.
One day, she returns home, humming “Greensleeves,” and enters the kitchen where the couple sit over a freshly made soup.
“Good news, kids! You can congratulate me—I’ve met a wonderful man, and tomorrow we’re off to a spa together! Isn’t that exciting?”
“It is,” Victor and Eva agree in unison.
“Is it serious?” Victor asks, worried about another household member.
“Well, we’ll see after the spa. Hopefully, I’ll know by then,” Sofia says, happily tucking into her soup.
But after the trip, Sofia returns disappointed. “Alex wasn’t a good match, but I’m not giving up!” She throws herself back into her clubs, walks, and gatherings.
Eventually, Victor and Eva come home to yet another messy flat and empty kitchen, and Eva snaps, banging the empty fridge:
“Sofia, could you please help with the housework too? It’s chaos in here and there’s no food! Why do we have to do everything?”
“Now, why are we so irritable?” Sofia asks, surprised. “If you lived on your own, who would be cleaning for you?”
“But you’re here!” Eva protests.
“I’m not your maid—those days are behind me! I warned Victor I wouldn’t be the housekeeper. If he didn’t tell you, that’s not my fault,” Sofia insists.
“I thought you were joking…” Victor says, bewildered.
“So you want to live here happily and have me do all the housework too? No chance! I set my terms, and if you don’t like it, you’re welcome to find your own place!” Sofia says, disappearing to her room.
The next morning, doing her lipstick and humming “Early One Morning,” she dons her favourite blouse and heads off to the Community Centre for Folk Choir, leaving Victor and Eva to fend for themselves. Mum, Im getting married! my son announced, cheerful as ever. Thats nice, I answered, maybe lacking a
You make a fair bit of money, don’t you? My wife’s younger sister borrowed some pounds and
“Mum, I’m Getting Married!” – Victor Exclaims Happily.
“That’s nice,” Sofia says with little enthusiasm.
“Mum, what’s wrong?” Victor asks, surprised.
“Nothing… Where are you planning to live?” his mother asks, narrowing her eyes.
“Here, of course! You don’t mind, do you? It’s a three-bedroom flat, surely we’ll all fit?”
“Do I have a choice?” she replies.
“Well, renting is out of the question…” Victor mumbles.
“So, I don’t have a choice,” Sofia sighs.
“Mum, rental prices are ridiculous these days! We won’t have enough left for food. We’re not here forever—we’ll work and save for a place of our own much quicker this way.”
Sofia shrugs. “Fine… You can move in and stay as long as you need, but I have two conditions: the bills get split three ways, and I am not the housekeeper.”
“Agreed, Mum, whatever you say,” Victor replies straight away.
They celebrate a modest wedding, and soon Sofia, Victor, and his new wife, Eva, are sharing the flat.
From day one, Sofia always seems to have urgent plans whenever the couple get home—she’s out, the pans are empty, and the flat is left a mess just as the newlyweds left it that morning.
“Mum, where have you been?” Victor asks one evening.
“You know, Victor, the Community Centre rang and invited me to join their Folk Choir—I do have a great voice, as you know…”
“Really?” Victor is surprised.
“Yes! You just forgot. There’s a bunch of other retirees there and we have the best time singing together. I can’t wait to go back tomorrow!” Sofia says cheerfully.
“And tomorrow is choir again?”
“No, tomorrow’s our literary night—we’re reading Shakespeare. You know how much I love Shakespeare.”
“Really?” Victor is surprised again.
“Yes! I’ve told you before! You never pay attention to your old mum,” she teases gently.
Eva listens silently to the entire exchange.
Since Victor got married, Sofia finds a new lease on life: she attends all sorts of groups for pensioners, makes new friends, hosts lively gatherings in the kitchen with tea, biscuits brought by friends, and marathon games of bingo. Sometimes she goes for walks or gets so lost in her favourite soaps she barely hears her son and daughter-in-law come home.
Household chores? Sofia is adamantly uninvolved, leaving everything for Victor and Eva. At first, they don’t complain. Eventually, Eva starts casting glances, then they mutter under their breath, Victor sighs loudly, but Sofia remains blissfully unaware and continues her busy social life.
One day, she returns home, humming “Greensleeves,” and enters the kitchen where the couple sit over a freshly made soup.
“Good news, kids! You can congratulate me—I’ve met a wonderful man, and tomorrow we’re off to a spa together! Isn’t that exciting?”
“It is,” Victor and Eva agree in unison.
“Is it serious?” Victor asks, worried about another household member.
“Well, we’ll see after the spa. Hopefully, I’ll know by then,” Sofia says, happily tucking into her soup.
But after the trip, Sofia returns disappointed. “Alex wasn’t a good match, but I’m not giving up!” She throws herself back into her clubs, walks, and gatherings.
Eventually, Victor and Eva come home to yet another messy flat and empty kitchen, and Eva snaps, banging the empty fridge:
“Sofia, could you please help with the housework too? It’s chaos in here and there’s no food! Why do we have to do everything?”
“Now, why are we so irritable?” Sofia asks, surprised. “If you lived on your own, who would be cleaning for you?”
“But you’re here!” Eva protests.
“I’m not your maid—those days are behind me! I warned Victor I wouldn’t be the housekeeper. If he didn’t tell you, that’s not my fault,” Sofia insists.
“I thought you were joking…” Victor says, bewildered.
“So you want to live here happily and have me do all the housework too? No chance! I set my terms, and if you don’t like it, you’re welcome to find your own place!” Sofia says, disappearing to her room.
The next morning, doing her lipstick and humming “Early One Morning,” she dons her favourite blouse and heads off to the Community Centre for Folk Choir, leaving Victor and Eva to fend for themselves. Mum, Im getting married! my son announced, cheerful as ever. Thats nice, I answered, maybe lacking a
Betrayal of Ones Own Children Daisy once again gazed, full of admiration, at her brother and sister.
My own mother threw me out of our flat because she cared for my stepfather more. I lived with my dad
My wife and I decided to leave our flat in London to our son, and moved out to the countryside.
Our grandchildren are dearly loved, but we simply havent the strength to look after them. They say that
I dont want to live with my daughters family. Let me tell you why. My daughter and her family found themselves
