Lately, our family has had a spot of unexpected botherwe lost our reliable source of income. Let me fill you in. Im retired, and the pension I get from the state would barely cover my medicine, let alone anything else. With age comes all sorts of delightful surprises, like high blood pressure, so Ill be popping pills till the end of my days.
My son and daughter-in-law had been longing for a second child for ages, but it was always something or other. As soon as she finally got pregnant, she lost her job. The youngest is already four and still at home, while the eldest is sixteen. Hes taken up a job as a courier after school and pinched every penny until he could splurge on a computerso much for family sacrifice.
When I grumbled about his purchase, my daughter-in-law shot back that he earned the money himself and he has the right to do as he pleases with itnot as if he asked us for anything. My son, meanwhile, lost his job completely. Before the youngest was born, he was earning well enough to keep the whole lot of us fed and clothed. He even managed to save up a bit. But his health started unraveling, and the doctors handed him a rather grim diagnosis. All the savings got gobbled up by treatment and medication. When the little one turned one, my son had to spend a few months in hospital. The NHS covered his stay, but being absent for so long meant he got the boot.
To be specific, he stopped getting the important jobs and lost his commissions. Just recently, the doctors announced hell need surgery, and after that, hell be out of action for a yearor maybe even eighteen monthsbefore he can bounce back to normal life. We were all knocked for six by this news, but surgery is necessary, and his employers wont hang about waiting for him. So, my daughter-in-law will have to find a new job.
Shes already fretting about how well cope on her salary alone. Its tough, you know. Meanwhile, my grandson treats himself to a fancy computer with his own wagesdoesnt even consider helping out the family. Is it wrong for me to expect him to chip in, or is it really too much to ask that he thinks of us and shoulders a bit of responsibility?
