I met Sasha at university. I liked her immediately, and we started dating. We decided not to wait too long, so we got married right after graduation, which I don’t regret at all. I’ll tell you right away that my mom didn’t like this decision at all. She convinced me for a long time that we needed to wait and think it over. I did not listen to her. That’s when my mom said that we could not expect any help from her.
I wasn’t too upset, because she had long ago warned me that she wouldn’t help me all my life and that I was old enough to take care of myself. And so it happened. I am completely independent, and my mother is enjoying her old age.
We don’t ask her for help, but this time the situation is different. My wife and I had an opportunity to go on vacation at a very good price. And everyone knows that a vacation with children is not a vacation. So we decided not to take them with us. We agreed to leave the younger one with my mother-in-law (my mother doesn’t like him, she says he’s too active), and we hoped that my mother would look after the older one.
My mother categorically refused our request. We had a big fight with her about it. You see, she believes that she has already fulfilled her maternal duty and that we should deal with our problems on our own. I understand that she wants peace of mind, but this is the first time in six years that we have asked for such a service.
- Mom, this is your grandson. Is it really hard for you to sit with him for one week?
- Do I have to do it?
- Well, I was hoping that you would want to.
- But I don’t want to. You gave birth to him yourself, so you should raise him yourself. No one helped me in my time, and I didn’t ask for help. I did it myself, so you can do it too.
- I just don’t understand why it’s so hard for you to help us
- Because it is you who should be helping me.
- With the way you treat us, you won’t even have anyone to fetch water.
- Didn’t I know that I have to earn respect and help from my son? If you don’t want to help me, I’ll find someone who will help me for money.
That was the end of our quarrel. I don’t know how to communicate with him anymore. I can’t just forget about my mother, but she could be a little kinder and not refuse to help me sometimes.
