They say children bring joy, and grandchildren double it. I wont arguetheres truth in it. But only when there arent too many and one can afford to care for them. My husband, David, and I have one daughter, Lucy. As fate would have it, at nineteen she stunned us with the newsshe was expecting and decided to keep the baby. Then, to our disbelief, she gave birth to twins and married her boyfriend, Tom.
Suddenly, our world turned upside down. Lucy, barely out of school herself, was now a young mother with two tiny babies. Tom was scarcely older and earned a pittance at the local hardware shop. We ended up supporting them more than wed ever imagined. David and I both took on extra shifts just to keep up with the expenses and ensure the children and grandchildren didnt go without.
For a while, they all stayed under our roof. Each morning, we awoke for our jobs and throughout the night, I chased after the twins so Lucy could get at least some rest. Its no surprise my health began to fail. Three years passed this way; they managed to stand a little steadier on their own, the children had grown. Then Lucy called meher voice trembling, she announced she was pregnant again.
I tried to reason with her. I told her frankly that perhaps she should reconsiderits hard enough raising two. But Lucy was adamant, determined to have the baby. She gave birth, and our lives slipped right back into the old routine. Another little one, more money needed, another mouth at the table. David and I threw ourselves into work once more, though Tom was earning a bit more now, but it was nowhere near enough for five.
Then tragedy struckDavid suffered a stroke, and my chest hurt constantly. I finally began to understand that our bodies couldnt bear it much longer. I told Lucy, this time they had to manage alone. And then, as if she hadnt learned, she confessed she was expecting her fourth child.
I was lost for words. What on earth were they thinking? Did they really believe David and I would shoulder everything forever? We simply couldnt anymore. Im torn. I dont want people whispering that we abandoned our only daughter. But weve given all we canthe rest is beyond us.
