Margaret married when she was quite young, and at the tender age of twenty-three, she gave birth to a son. Yet, she showed little inclination to care for him herself. Instead, she left him in the care of his grandmother, sending a few pounds across to support them now and then, whilst she lived a carefree existence with her husband. Two years passed in such fashion, until circumstance dictated that the boy must return home, but Margaret kept him at arms length, barely acknowledging him. To limit their interactions further, she enrolled him in a nursery, and then in a local infant school, where the lad became subject to teasing and struggled with his lessons.
Neither Margaret nor her husband paid much attention to his upbringing or education, and when the school attempted to involve them, Margarets husband responded angrily and even violently. Upon his finishing school, Margaret arranged a position for her son at a factory, and it was there he met his future wife. The young couple were allocated a modest flat provided by the management of the factory. Yet, when grandchildren arrived, Margarets interest remained distant; on special occasions, she might send a few pounds, but little else.
When the time of Margarets retirement arrived, she sought to mark the occasion with a grand celebration. She approached her son, requesting that he use the money she had sporadically provided to purchase food and gifts for her grandchildren. Her son and daughter-in-law sent the children off to the village to avoid any disruption, and readied themselves for the festivities. Upon Margarets arrival, they welcomed her, and the guests revelled until the early hours.
But once the gathering had dispersed, Margaret casually announced she would be leaving early, and thus would not remain to see her grandchildren who were due to return from their other grandmothers house. She left behind only a small piece of cake for them to share. Her son was deeply hurt by her indifference.
A week later, Margaret telephoned her son once again, explaining she had to go into hospital for an operation, and requested that he bring her several things. He answered coolly, telling her that he and his wife were departing on holidaysomething she was already well aware of. He suggested she ring her husband instead.
In time, someone made Margaret see that the world did not revolve around her whims, and her son learned to stand up for himself and place the welfare of his own family first.
