After my brother and his wife were married, they decided to take out a mortgage and buy a flat. For some reason, they thought it best to start a family straightaway. In order to save money, they moved in with Mum and me. Both of them worked tirelessly, seven days a week, coming home only to sleep. My sister-in-law even went into labour at her workplace. When their baby boy arrived, they named him William.
After a couple of months of breastfeeding, my sister-in-laws milk dried up, so Will was switched to formula. Mum taught at the local secondary school and finished work just after lunchtime, so they agreed that my sister-in-law would work part-time. Mum would come home, and my sister-in-law would dash off to her shift.
At the time, I was in sixth form, and I did everything I could to help Mum. When Will turned one, my brother and his wife finally bought their own place and moved out. Shortly after, I finished school and went away to university in another city. By then, Mum had retired and could devote much more attention to her grandson. So, every day my brother and his wife would drop Will off at Mums, and hed stay until the evening when they picked him up. Both Mum and Will seemed content. If Will was ill, hed remain with Mumno point in shuttling a poorly child about, after all. Will never went to nursery.
Mum pretty much raised her grandson until two months ago, when my sister-in-law started her second maternity leave. By now, the mortgage was all paid off, and this time, she was determined to take the full allowance. With Mum no longer needed for daily childcare, they stopped bringing Will over. Then came the complaints about Mum and her child-rearing methods: How can a former teacher spoil a child this much? He wont do anything for himself, ignores me, only behaves after a smack. Youve ruined him! my sister-in-law moaned at Mum. My brother always took his wifes side. I know that if she ever dared speak to Mum like that in front of me, Id set them both straight in an instant.
