A Fortunate Mistake…
Growing Up in a Single-Parent Home Without My Father, Raised by Mum and Grandma
Feeling the Absence of a Dad Even in Nursery, Especially in Primary School, Jealous of Friends with Proud, Strong Fathers
Longing for Warmth When I Saw Dads Kiss Their Sons and Daughters While I Only Saw My Father’s Smile in a Photograph
Mum Told Me He Was an Explorer Living in the Far North, Sending Birthday Gifts but Never Visiting
In Year Three, I Overheard Mum Admitting There Was No Explorer Father, Only a Man Who Abandoned Us
I Decided I Didn’t Want Any More Holiday Presents Pretending to Be from My Father—Just My Favourite Bird’s Milk Cake
We Lived Honestly on Mum and Grandma’s Modest Salaries, So I Worked Loading Freight and, Later, Became Father Christmas for Extra Christmas Cash
As a Student, Father Christmas Jobs at Homes Led to Unexpected Encounters, Including One at Sadovaya Street, Flat 19
There a Little Boy Named Artyom—My Namesake—Showed Me a Home So Familiar, Decorated Not With a Tree but With My Own Photograph Beside His Mum Lena’s
Recalling My Summer Romance with Lena on a Student Build Site, Stunned to Discover She’d Raised Our Son in My Absence
The Door Opens—Lena Returns, Shocked to See Me Behind the Father Christmas Beard
Face to Face with Past Mistakes, Tears, Laughter, and Revelations
We Reunite as a Family Thanks to My Accidental Visit to the Wrong Address
A Joyful, Fatefully Happy Error—Now We’re Together: Mum, Son, and Father, With Grandma and Great-Grandma Celebrating Little Artyom Artyomovich! A FORTUNATE MISTAKE… I grew up in a single-parent householdwithout a father. My mother and grandmother
Oh, for goodness sake, Emily, take a look at thisjust run your finger across the shelf, will you?
At 58, I Made a Decision That Cost Me More Than Most People Can Imagine: I Stopped Financially Supporting My Daughter—Not Because I Don’t Love Her or Because I’ve Become ‘Tight’
My Daughter Married a Man Who Never Liked to Work; While She Worked Hard but Struggled to Make Ends Meet, He Jumped from Job to Job, Always Finding Excuses. Month After Month, They Came to Me for Money for Rent, Food, Debts, and the Children’s School—And I Always Helped, Hoping Things Would Change. But the Years Passed, and Nothing Got Better; He Slept Late, Hung Out with Friends, and Never Took Responsibility, Because He Knew I’d Bail Them Out—Even Covering His Drinking. My Daughter Never Confronted Him; It Was Easier to Ask Me for Money Than to Stand Up to Him. I Bore the Burden of a Marriage That Wasn’t Mine, Paying Bills That Weren’t Mine. The Day I Stopped Was When My Daughter Asked for Money for an “Emergency”—Only to Reveal It Was for a Debt Her Husband Racked Up Playing Pool with Friends. When I Asked Why He Doesn’t Work, She Said, “I Don’t Want to Pressure Him.” I Told Her I’d Always Support Her and My Grandchildren Emotionally, But I’d Never Give Money Again While She Stayed with a Man Who Does Nothing and Takes No Responsibility. She Cried and Accused Me of Abandonment—One of the Hardest Moments I’ve Ever Faced as a Mother. Tell Me… Did I Do the Right Thing? Im 58 years old, and recently I made a decision that cost me more than most people could possibly imagine
Never Expected This from My Husband Hannah, we really need to do something I sighed into the phone. Whats happened?
My brother refuses to put Mum in a care home, yet wont take her to live with him apparently, theres no room!
Why havent I heard a peep from anyone this evening? Maybe theres a problem with the signal?
Betrayal and Ultimatums Look here, Helen, Ive neither the time nor patience to listen to your endless
Jealousy ruined me: The moment I saw my wife stepping out of another mans car, I lost control and destroyed
My Son Brought Home His New Girlfriend—She Seemed a Bit Suspicious
A few days ago, my son introduced his girlfriend to our family. She’s a little younger than me, maybe four or five years. My son has fallen in love with a woman my own age and wants to marry her. The next surprise: she has a young daughter.
I welcomed them warmly. The most important thing is that my son is happy, and that means I’m happy too, but I felt I had to speak to someone about it. As soon as they left, I called my best friend, who I fondly call my “calming medicine.” No matter what happens, she’s always there for me, offering wise advice that never fails. I told her the whole story and asked for her help in handling things the right way.
We talked for ages, and who knows how long it would have gone on if my son hadn’t come home just then. He wanted to talk. I was nervous, worried he’d reveal something even more shocking. “Mum, I want her and her daughter to move in with us,” he said.
I didn’t know how to react, but I agreed: let them move in. He was thrilled and went to tell them the news.
All I could think was: Does she really love my son, or is she only interested because we have a lovely big house in central London and come from a wealthy family?
With that thought, I drifted off to sleep. In my dream, my late husband told me, “It’s alright.” When I woke up, I understood: my son isn’t foolish. He knows what he’s doing, and even if he makes a mistake, he’ll fix it. Just a few days ago, my son brought his girlfriend home. She appeared a bit suspicious to me.
I’m 58 Years Old and I Made a Decision That Cost Me More Than Most People Could Imagine: I Stopped Supporting My Daughter Financially—And It Wasn’t Because I Don’t Love Her, or Because I’ve Become “Tight-Fisted”
My daughter married a man who, right from the start, made it clear he doesn’t like to work. He hopped from job to job, always with a different excuse—the boss, the hours, the pay, the atmosphere… there was always something.
She worked hard, but the money was never enough.
Every month, he would come to me with the same words: rent, food, debts, school for the kids. And every time, in the end, I would help.
At first, I thought it was temporary. A phase. That he would pull himself together, take responsibility, become a real man.
But the years went by, and nothing changed.
He would stay at home, sleep in, go out with friends, promise he was “almost” about to find work. And the money I gave my daughter really covered expenses that he should have taken care of—or worse, paid for his drinking.
He didn’t look for a job because he knew, no matter what, I would be the one to “fix” it.
My daughter didn’t confront him either. It was easier to ask me than to face up to him.
So I was paying bills that weren’t mine, carrying the burden of a marriage that wasn’t mine.
The day I decided to stop was when my daughter asked me for money for an “emergency”—and happened to mention it was needed to cover a debt her husband had racked up playing snooker with his mates.
I asked her:
—Why doesn’t he work?
And she replied:
—I don’t want to pressure him.
That’s when I made it clear:
I will continue to support her emotionally. I will always be there for her and my grandchildren. But I won’t give any more money as long as she stays with a man who does nothing and takes no responsibility.
She cried. She was angry. She accused me of abandoning her.
And it was one of the hardest moments I’ve faced as a mother.
Tell me… was I wrong? I’m 58 years old and have just made a decision that has cost me more than most people could possibly
