Both children and grandchildren have become so selfish these days – they demand attention but give nothing in return.
What kind of consumerist attitude toward older people is this? As if we have no interests of our own, and our only purpose is to babysit our grandchildren. But when I need something, suddenly, everyone is too busy.
My daughter has two sons – one is 12 years old, and the other is 4.
I don’t know how my daughter and her husband are raising them or what the school thinks about it, but the boys are growing up to be lazy – they never clean up after themselves, not even making their beds. They refuse to eat just anything either. It’s a real struggle.
When my grandchildren were younger, I helped my daughter in every possible way. I have been retired for the past five years and no longer take care of the children.
This year, before the autumn break, I felt more at ease: I looked at the calendar and realized that there wouldn’t be a long weekend at the beginning of November – which meant my daughter and her husband wouldn’t be going anywhere.
But I was happy too soon.
Just a week before the holidays began, on a Sunday, the doorbell rang. My daughter stood at the door with her sons.
– Mom, hi! Take the grandchildren. The school break has started, – she announced as soon as she walked in.
– Emily, why didn’t you warn me in advance? – I asked, surprised.
– If I had warned you, you would have found a million reasons to get out of your grandmotherly duties! – she replied while helping the boys take off their coats. – William and I are going away to a spa for a week; we have no strength left! I’m completely exhausted!
– Wait, but isn’t there no additional time off this year? What about work? – I asked, trying to understand the situation.
– Do we not have the right to take a break? William took three days off from his vacation time. Mom, we don’t have time for this conversation, – my daughter said, gave me a kiss, and left.
At home, the TV was already blaring at full volume, and the boys’ clothes were scattered all over the hallway and living room. I tried to get them to clean up, at least to put away their clothes, but they wouldn’t even listen to me.
They refused to eat my soup, saying that their mom had promised them pizza. That was when I lost my patience.
I called my daughter:
– Emily, your kids are demanding pizza. I am not going to buy them that!
– I’m ordering pizza for you right now. Mom, they simply won’t eat your porridge – it always leads to arguments. Take them somewhere, let them have some fun, eat something decent! You always say they drive you crazy at home! – Emily replied, clearly irritated.
– And with what money am I supposed to organize all these activities? From my pension? – I asked, outraged.
– What else do you need it for? These are your grandchildren, not strangers! I can’t believe this! – my daughter scoffed and hung up.
And that was it!
All my life, I worked hard for my beloved daughter, saved every penny, worked two jobs. And in my old age, this is the gratitude I receive!
No, I love my grandchildren very much. But they get tired of me, and I get tired of them – after all, the age difference is huge! Yet my daughter thinks that a grandmother is just a free babysitter and that my only responsibility now is to take care of the grandchildren.
Selfish, I tell you!
