Not long ago, I came across a woman strolling down the street with her eighteen-month-old daughter, completely oblivious to her surroundings.
Hello, my friend. Just recently, I ran into a woman I know, out walking with her little girl, whos about a year and a half old. She seemed so lost in her thoughts that she nearly passed straight by me, not noticing a thing. I called out, and when she finally realised who I was, she smiled at first, but then her expression slipped back into a kind of distant indifference. I asked her what was wrong, and at that point, she confided her whole story about troubles at home.
She and her husband married for love. Their courtship was something out of a storybook, full of romantic gestures, laughter, and time spent together. After the wedding, he treated her like a princess, doing everything to keep her happy. They always tried to find peace and understanding, even when their paths seemed to drift apart.
Things changed dramatically when their daughter was born. Her husband suddenly had to experience what it truly meant to be a parent, and, to be honest, he didnt relish it. He worked from home, and the cries and fussing of a baby made it difficult for him. The bulk of the childcare landed on his wife, although every so often hed get told off as well.
With his wife on maternity leave and their household income much lower than before, her husband started taking advantage of the situation, pushing more and more responsibility for their little one onto her. Eventually, he insisted she should go back to work and let one of the grandparents look after the baby.
He wouldnt listen to any reasoning that the grandparents couldnt cope with such a young child. All that mattered to him was boosting their finances. He even looked at full-time nurseries so he wouldnt have to be bothered looking after his own daughter. From then on, he never gave her money for grocerieshe did the food shopping himself, claiming she was too careless with their money and always bought unnecessary things.
The poor woman began going out more often, taking her daughter to the park or the local playground just to avoid being cooped up at home with her husband.
In her despair, she asked me what she ought to do, but truthfully, I couldnt offer her any real advice. Divorce? That was out of the questiondespite all his faults, my friend still loved Thomas dearly and was too attached to him to leave. Besides, her little girl was growing up, and she didnt want to split the family apart, believing it best for the child to have both parents present. She was simply worn out by all the accusations that she never brought in any money, even though it wasnt her fault in the slightest.
When we parted ways, I could only offer the usual platitudes: Be strong, Itll all work out, and Things will get better. I truly hope that, in time, they will.
