My daughter and son-in-law left me with the grandkids for the entire holiday. And here I am on my pension, expected to feed and entertain them.
Kids these dayseven grandkidshave become so selfish. They demand all your attention, care, and time, but what do you get in return? Indifference and complaints. When did this entitled attitude towards older people start? As if we dont have our own lives, our own wisheslike were just here to play nanny, unpaid and unappreciated. But the moment *I* need help? Suddenly, everyones too busy, like I dont even matter.
My daughter has two boysthe eldest is 12, the youngest is 4. I live in a quiet village near York, and all Ive got is my modest pension and the peace I cherish. I dont know how my daughter and her husband are raising them or whats going on at school, but those boys are proper little layabouts. They never tidy up after themselvesnot even their beds!leaving the place looking like a tornados hit. And the food? They turn their noses up at my cooking and demand takeaway instead. Absolute nightmare!
When they were little, I helped my daughter with everythingbabysitting, running errands, the lot. But these past five years, since I retired, Ive tried to step back from being the default babysitter. This autumn, I checked the calendar and sighed in reliefno half-term break in early November. So I thought, *Brilliant, they wont be going anywhere, and Ill finally have some peace.* Oh, how wrong I was.
Last Sunday, right before half-term, there was a knock at the door. I opened itand there was my daughter, Emily, with both boys in tow. Before I could even say hello, she blurted out:
“Mum, hi! Here, take the kidsholidays started!”
I was stunned.
“Emily, why didnt you warn me? What kind of surprise is this?”
“If I warned you, youd come up with a thousand excuses not to take them!” she snapped, yanking their coats off. “David and I are off to a spa for the weekIm exhausted!”
“Wait, what about work? Theres no extra time off this year!” I tried to think straight, panic rising.
“We took leaveDavid used some unpaid days. Mum, no time to explain, were late!” She kissed my cheek, dashed out, and just like that, I was left with two suitcases and two kids.
Within minutes, the house was chaos. The telly blared, jackets and shoes were strewn everywhere, and the boys ran wild like a storm. I tried to get them to tidy up, but they ignored me like I was invisible. When they turned their noses up at my soup and demanded pizza, Id had enough.
I grabbed my phone and called Emily:
“Your kids want pizza! Im not buying them that!”
“Already ordered delivery,” she brushed me off, annoyed. “Mum, they wont eat your stewit always causes a row. Take them out somewhere, do something fun! You always complain they drive you mad at home!”
“And with what money? My pension?” I snapped, my face burning.
“What else are you spending it on? Theyre your grandkids, not strangers! Cant believe youd say that!” She scoffed and hung up.
And that was that. Stuck alone with this mess. My whole life, I worked my fingers to the bone for my only daughtertwo jobs, saving every pennyso *she* could have a good life. And now, in my old age, *this* is my thanks? Im shaking with anger, with helplessness, with the unfairness of it all.
I love my grandkids, truly. But they tire me out, and Im not as young as I used to beI cant keep up with them all day. My daughter treats me like free childcare, like my pension and my time belong to *her* family. Their *right*, my *duty*. Selfish, the lot of them. And as I sit here, staring at this mess, listening to their shouting, I cant help but think*Is this really my golden years? Is this all I deserve?*
