**Diary Entry – A Mother’s Dilemma**
I couldn’t settle all day—my son, William, was bringing his fiancée home this evening. I’d been bustling about since dawn, setting the table just right, making sure every detail was perfect. Emily seemed lovely at first glance—sweet, polite, well-mannered. We sat down to dinner, chatting easily, but after the meal, William walked her home and returned looking utterly shattered.
“Mum, it’s over,” he muttered before I could even ask. “Emily called off the wedding.”
“Why? What happened?” My heart sank.
“Because of you.”
I froze. Was it true?
Later, fighting back tears, I rang my friend Margaret. “Please come round,” I whispered. “I don’t know how to carry on. I’m just a burden to my own son. Maybe it’d be better if I weren’t here at all.”
“Don’t talk nonsense,” she cut in. “I’ll be right over.”
William and I had always shared a modest rented flat in Leeds. No family to lean on, no property to call our own. I’d worked two jobs just to keep us afloat while he studied at university. We managed—tight, but together. Still, I worried he’d never settle down. All I wanted was to see him happy, maybe even grandchildren someday…
When Emily came into his life, hope flickered in my chest. Six months later, he announced they’d applied for a marriage license. I prepared for their visit as if it were a royal occasion. Emily seemed perfect—until she glanced around and asked, “How long will you be staying here, Mrs. Thompson?”
“Staying? I live here.”
“In this flat? With Will?” Her tone shifted.
“Yes.”
“Oh… I didn’t realise.”
The conversation moved on, but something cooled in her. The next day, she refused to see William, then broke things off entirely. Her reason? She wouldn’t live with his mother.
“I’m just a weight around his neck, Margaret!” I sobbed. “I’d only have helped—cooking, cleaning, even with the baby! She’s pregnant, you know!”
“Listen,” Margaret said firmly. “Your son needs his own life. You’ve been through this yourself. He’s a man now, the head of his family, not a boy tied to his mum’s apron strings.”
“But I can’t manage alone. My pension’s barely enough—”
“You will. Everyone does. And so will you. The choice is simple: step back and gain a grandson, a happy family, and your son’s gratitude—or cling on and lose it all.”
I made my decision. The next day, Margaret and I went to see Emily.
“Thank you for coming,” Emily said after a long, quiet talk. “I wouldn’t have dared say it myself. But… thank you. And know this—we’d never abandon you. If you ever need help, we’ll be there.”
“We?” I blinked.
“Yes. I’m staying with Will. I love him. But we’ll live separately. Thank you for understanding.”
The wedding went ahead. William moved in with Emily. And when their son was born, she was the one who invited me to stay—they needed the help.
Now, I cherish my grandson, cook their Sunday roasts, and one evening, Emily squeezed my hand and said, “Thank you, Mum. I don’t know how we’d manage without you.”
