We have only one child, my husband and Ia grown-up son. He has his own family now, and weve even become grandparents.
I grew up during the tough years of austerity in England, back when choices were limited and expectations were high. I didnt marry until I was over thirty; at the time, people thought I was a spinster. There was no shortage of whispers, all expecting us to have children immediately. In those days, remaining childless was treated with the same suspicion as catching a nasty illness.
Well, my husband and I had our son and decided that was enough. As people with university educations, we understood the financial responsibility involved in raising a child. The more children you had, the more pounds you needed to make ends meet.
We never regretted our decision. We managed to give our son a solid upbringing, support his education, and carve out a good life for ourselves.
My son, however, saw things differently. Shortly after his wedding, his wife became pregnant and our grandson was born. The newlyweds didnt have a home of their own, so they took out a mortgage. Month after month, they scraped by, making payments. Then I learned my daughter-in-law was expecting again. Naturally, I asked them how they planned to feed two children and keep up the mortgage repayments. They took offence, insisting theyd manage. I said, If youre sure youll cope, then fine.
For quite a while, they did manage. But eventually, my daughter-in-law couldnt return to work, and then my son lost his job. What could they do? They decided to move into our flat, which wed been letting out. My husband offered to help pay the mortgage for the young couple. The two of us spent the next year bankrolling their mortgage payments. I truly thought we were doing a good deed, helping our children when they needed us most. Turns out, I was wrong.
Just recently, I found out that the mortgage payments hadnt been kept upthat they were half a year in arrears. Where did all our money go? My husband is livid; he says hes got nothing left to offer. Im stunned. I have no words, nor do I know what to do next. We did our best to support our children, and it turns out they were just lounging about on our generosity. What are we supposed to do now?
