For About an Hour, I Watched Young Future Parents Fresh Out of Sixth Form College Recently, I Had a Gynaecology Appointment: A Queued Wait with Eager Teenage Parents—His Big Dream of a Son, Naming Inspirations from Doctors, Unruly Antics in the Waiting Room, and Worries About How Their Upbringing Might Shape Their Child

Author Walton MerrittReading 3 minViews 3

It must have been many years ago nowa memory from my younger days, vivid in my mind as if it happened just yesterday.

I recall visiting the gynaecologist not long after leaving college. As was often the case, there was a rather long queue and the doctor arrived late. Behind me stood a heavily pregnant girl, only around eighteen, accompanied by the soon-to-be father, clearly her peer. These very young parents seemed completely unaware of how to behave in such a setting, not minding the line at all and carrying on as they pleased.

The boy, in particular, was making a spectacle of himself down the hallway, cackling loudly about the fact he was to have a son.

Isnt it brilliant that its a boy? Ehhhhh!

He practically shouted this same line no fewer than ten times before a new thought struck him.

Wait, we havent picked a name! he exclaimed. Lets name him after a doctor, eh?

He then started wandering up and down, reading out the brass name plaques outside each consulting room and making a show of commenting on the doctors names. After his self-appointed survey, he plonked down beside the expectant mother and burst into another fit of giggles. An older lady who passed by couldnt help herself and reprimanded him.

Young man, please behave yourself! she said, sternly.

The boy looked utterly bewildered, turned to her and repliedwith that same ridiculous, grinning expressionGrannys pregnant too! Hee-hee-hee

The girl responded with a soft, silly giggle of her own, her face vacant with the same stupid look. I could barely restrain myself; I didnt want to cause a scene with a pregnant woman, so I held my tongue.

Before long, the subject of his nonsense moved on to food.

Im starving! Oy-oy-oy-oy-oy

Im absolutely famished, and this queues at least half an hour more

Lets nip off for a bitea plate of bangers and mash, maybe? Well come back later!

I dont fancy it, she retorted.

Youre getting fussy! he spluttered, howling with laughter again.

Their endless prattle made everyones head ache, but thank heavens, the pair eventually shuffled outwhether for sausages or pudding, I couldnt say. It didnt matter. What mattered was the peace that settled after their departure.

With a deep sigh, I thought with dread of the upbringing their child might have. Chances are, hed be just as badly mannered as his parents. I hoped, perhaps in vain, that the grandparents might try to step in, though if theyd raised children like these, I doubted things would turn out differently for the next generation.

For about a year, my son had been living with Kate, but we had never met her parents, which struck me as odd—so I decided to investigate I’ve always raised my son to respect women above all—his grandmother, his mother, his wife, his daughter. In my view, that’s the finest quality a man can have: respect for women. My husband and I gave our son a wonderful upbringing and education, and provided him with everything he needed to face life with confidence. We wanted to let him find his own way, but we still bought him a two-bedroom flat. While he worked to support himself, he didn’t earn enough to afford his own place. We didn’t just hand him the flat or even tell him about the purchase. Why? Because our son was living with his girlfriend—simple as that. For about a year, he’d been living with Kate, but we’d never met her parents, and I found that strange. Later, I discovered that Kate’s mother was once the neighbour of a friend of mine. She told me something that made me uneasy. It turned out her mother kicked her husband out when he started earning less, but the real oddity began afterwards… The woman started dating a married, but wealthy man. Kate’s grandmother, just like her daughter, was also involved with a married man and forced both her daughter and granddaughter to help out at his country cottage. Because of this, my son had already had several run-ins with his potential mother-in-law. But what troubles me most is that both Kate’s mother and grandmother are turning Kate against her father. The girl is clearly attached to her dad, but thanks to these women, her relationship with him is at risk. And, the cherry on top: Kate decided to drop out of university. She believes a man should take care of the family, which I understand—I’ve prepared my son for that—but heaven forbid they run into trouble down the line. Where’s the safety net if things go wrong? How will she support her husband then? By the way, I’ve reassigned the flat’s ownership to myself, because I know I raised him to be a true gentleman. Sure, anything you own before marriage isn’t split after divorce, but Kate is such a clever woman she could send my “gentleman” off with nothing but his socks.

— Needless to Say, This Is All My Fault! — My Boyfriend’s Sister Sobs: “I Never Imagined Anything Like This Could Happen! Now I Don’t Know What to Do Next, or Even How to Handle It Without Losing Face.” My boyfriend’s sister married a few years ago. After the wedding, it was agreed that the newlyweds would live with her husband’s mother. His parents have a spacious three-bedroom flat and only one son. “I’ll keep one room for myself, the rest is yours!” announced the mother-in-law. “We’re all well-mannered, so I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.” “We can always move out!” her husband reassured her. “There’s nothing wrong with trying to live with my mum under one roof. If it doesn’t work out, we can always get a place of our own…” That’s exactly what happened. Turns out, living together was quite the challenge. Both daughter-in-law and mother-in-law tried their best, but things just got worse every day. Tensions kept bubbling up, and the arguments became more frequent as time went on. “You said if we couldn’t stand it, we’d just move out!” the wife cried in frustration. “And didn’t we?” her husband shrugged indifferently. “These are minor issues—not worth packing up and leaving over, are they?” Exactly one year after their wedding, she became pregnant and gave birth to a healthy baby boy. The arrival of the grandson coincided with the mother-in-law leaving her job—and she hadn’t found a new one yet, as nobody wanted to hire someone nearing retirement. So mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were suddenly home together 24/7, neither able to go out much, and the atmosphere at home worsened every day. The husband shrugged and listened to their complaints—he was the only one bringing in any money. “We can’t leave my mother alone right now, she hasn’t got the means to support herself. I can’t abandon her, and I can’t afford to rent a place and help Mum out at the same time. Once she finds a job, we’ll move out.” But the young mother’s patience wore thin. She packed her things and her son’s as well, and moved in with her own mum. When she left, she told her husband she’d never set foot in his mother’s house again. If he truly cared about his family, he’d have to do something about it. She was sure her husband valued their family and would try hard to win them back. But she was very wrong. It’s been more than three months since she moved out, and her husband hasn’t made any attempt to bring her home. He still lives with his mother, keeps in touch with his wife and child via video calls after work, and visits them at his mother-in-law’s on weekends. He enjoys attention and care from two women at once, his mother has all the sympathy in the world for her poor son “abandoned” by that angry wife, and he doesn’t actually have to look after the child! The husband’s winning! And the mother-in-law probably feels like nothing’s changed at all. The young wife, meanwhile, is far from happy. She loves her husband—even though she knows he’s acting poorly. “What did you think would happen when you left?” he asks. “You’re welcome to come back whenever you like.” Realistically, the wife has no intention of leaving her own mum to rent her own flat. She’s on maternity leave, after all; she hasn’t got the means. Is this truly the end of their family? Do you think she has even the slightest chance of going back to her mother-in-law’s house and saving face in this situation?