Yesterday we were sitting on the bench with our neighbor Maria, and she was crying. She says she feels bad that she could go to a nursing home. Give up voluntarily. And all because of her daughter’s words.
She raised her daughter alone, without a husband. She was widowed early and then had to carry everything on her shoulders. Maria’s daughter grew up capricious and spoiled.
Since childhood she was used to her mother doing everything for her. She would give her last penny, but she would buy whatever she wanted for her daughter. She dressed her like a doll. And so that she had something to pamper her daughter with, and something to live on, she worked day and night. Sometimes she worked two shifts at the factory. Thankfully, she didn’t have to think about housing then. I got an apartment from the factory. But now it’s a different time. No one’s giving out apartments. Now we have to work and save for our own place
Maria’s daughter grew up and went to college, then got married.
Her husband’s parents have a large house outside the city, but they did not want to live there. Maria also has an apartment downtown, but they didn’t get along with her son-in-law. And it’s no business for young people to live with their parents. They want to live by their own rules, our elderly have their own habits and routines. Why prevent each other?
Especially now we can take out a mortgage. The main thing is to save for the first payment, and then pay slowly. It’s better than wandering around in other people’s apartments. The way they used to give us apartments, it won’t be like that anymore. It means we should do our own hard work, and we should buy our own home, no matter how difficult it would be. The more so, they both work and earn as much as anyone else. There are many acquaintances who have already bought an apartment this way.
But no, they cannot save money. First pregnancy, then the second. A lot of money is spent on diapers and formula. Now young people don’t want to bother with washing diapers or with formula.
And what is convenient from the package poured, diluted, and here you are and porridge. Wore a diaper, took it off, threw it away, put on a new one. It’s clean and dry and you don’t have to bother with laundry. It’s the beauty of life.
Why did you have to rush with the kids? You could have got on your feet first, got a place to live. And then they would have had time to have children. But no, they had to give birth one by one at once. Maria’s daughter wants to have more than one child when they get old. She and her husband are the only children in the family of their parents.
She may be right, of course. The two of them can support each other. And they can help their parents. And not spoiled, such as her daughter, will grow up, says Maria. Okay, children are a joy. But somehow people with children manage to put it off. No, this is also not their option.
But here I do not understand how not their? If you don’t have your own apartment, you could somehow save money, it’s better to wear one jacket for a few winters, and better to put away an extra penny for an apartment. We used to do exactly that. But young people are different now. They need everything now. They are not used to saving for their goals and dreams.
Neither are they used to eating out. They do not have to spend that kind of money on red fish and smoked sausages. They buy tons of sweets for their children. And what good are they, just a waste of money, that’s all. The house is also full of toys. And there is nothing there. Somehow before we got by with a couple of cars and a couple of dolls. But now we don’t. Every day new collections and series are released. And all the kids want, they all want.
And parents go along with everything they buy. And Maria’s daughter herself is spoiled and loves good cosmetics, and she dresses in branded things. They do not live within their means either. Why buy so many things? When she doesn’t even have time to wear them. Then it goes out of fashion and she already needs a new blouse or jacket. And that already throws out or surrenders for recycling. How much money do they throw away?
For vacation they always go to Turkey in summer. The children need to rest at the sea. And they themselves, you see, need a break from work.
It’s good to have a vacation. But why not relax somewhere in our countryside. And put away the extra money. And that’s how much money we spent on Turkey, we could have taken a one-bedroom apartment. Even a small apartment, but its own. And so they rush from one place to another and spend money. And no place of their own.
And now Maria is crying. My daughter came to see me. Again we talked about the apartment. And the daughter blurted out that there was no need to buy a flat now, they were fine on the rented one. But they live at their own pleasure and have a rest and eat what they want and get dressed. And then, they say, they will get the apartment all the same. She and her husband are the only children of their parents.
Maria was offended. She said that it turns out, they sit and wait, when they get apartments. Daughter, of course, then apologized for just blurted out. Well, how come they’ll get them anyway. And then why do they need a lot of apartments?
I think my daughter’s right and there’s nothing wrong with what she said. But still somehow unpleasant, says Maria. Now, when her daughter calls and asks about her well-being, Maria is just disturbed. She thinks they are probably waiting for her to pack her suitcases and move out.
