**A Mother’s Worry**
Our daughter is desperate to marry a layabout, and we’re horrified!
Here in our cosy little town in Yorkshire, where winters stretch long and people hold family close, my husband and I have always done our best for our daughter. But now, our hearts are breaking with worry—our girl wants to marry a lad who seems good for nothing but empty promises and laziness.
My husband, James, and I know how hard it is to find the right person. When we were young, my parents were dead set against James. Mum worried over his obsession with tinkering with old Minis, convinced it was reckless. Dad, meanwhile, had his heart set on me marrying his friend’s son, a well-off engineer. But I fell for James without hesitation. His kindness, his hard work, his care—it won me over, and I went against my parents’ wishes. We married, and time proved me right. Together, we raised our daughter, Emily, giving her everything she needed.
Emily’s always been our pride—bright, driven, full of fire. Two years ago, she left for university in Manchester and met a lad named Liam. At first, we were happy for her—young love is beautiful! But the more we learned about Liam, the more uneasy we grew. Now, Emily says she’s marrying him, and James and I are terrified, because Liam is bone idle. And that’s not an exaggeration.
We’ve seen it for ourselves, time and again. Every summer, Emily takes odd jobs—waitressing, office work—to save up for a holiday with Liam. And him? Nothing. In two years, he’s never lifted a finger to find work, not even a temp job. Emily carries everything while he reaps the rewards, as if it’s his due. It breaks our hearts—our girl deserves better!
Once, Liam’s parents started renovating their flat. Hoping to build bridges, we offered to help. We brought tools, paint, wallpaper. And what did Liam do? While James and I sanded walls and hung paper, Liam sat in his room glued to his computer, gaming for hours, never once offering us so much as a cuppa. Strangers sweating in his home, and he couldn’t be bothered to lift a finger. It hit me like a bolt: *Is this really the man my daughter wants to spend her life with?*
Liam lives in his own world—hours online, barely speaking to anyone, and when he does, it’s only to moan about how “everything’s rubbish.” I can’t imagine Emily happy with someone like that. She’s a star, and he’s dragging her into the mud of his apathy. I know this marriage will trap her, but how do I make her see it?
We’ve tried talking to Emily, but she’s in love and won’t hear it. Every word about Liam feels like an attack to her. *”You just don’t know him!”* she shouts, tears in her eyes. I see her torn between love and reason, and it guts me. I don’t want her repeating mistakes she’ll regret forever.
Every night, I lie awake picturing Emily—so hopeful—walking down the aisle to a man who doesn’t value her or her efforts. I’m terrified she’ll sacrifice her dreams for someone who won’t even get off the sofa. How do we reach her? How do we save her from a choice that could ruin her life? A mother’s heart screams: *This marriage is a disaster.* But I don’t know how to save my girl.
