For about a year, my son had been living with Kate, yet wed never met her parents. That struck me as odd, so I decided to look into it.
I’ve always strived to raise my son to be respectful towards womenhis grandmother, his mother, his wife, and his daughter. To my mind, theres no better quality for a man than to respect women. My wife and I did all we could to give him a solid upbringing and education, equipping him with everything hed need to make his way in the world with confidence. We didnt want to spoil him, but we did end up buying him a two-bedroom flat. Although he had a job and earned his own keep, buying a property in London outright was beyond his means.
We didnt give him the flat straightaway, nor even mention we’d bought it. The reason? He was living with his girlfriend. After all, my son had been with Kate for a year but wed never been introduced to her parents, and I found that unsettling.
Eventually, I discovered that Kates mother used to be neighbours with an old friend of mine. She told me something that instantly put me on edge. As it turned out, Kates mother had thrown her husband out when his earnings dipped, but the real nonsense began after that. She started seeing a married man with money. Even Kates grandmother, much like her daughter, was involved with a married man. Both of them would drag Kate and her mother out to the country to lend a hand at the mans cottage and on his smallholding.
This background led to my son having several awkward encounters with his future mother-in-law. Yet what worried me the most wasnt even thatit was that both the mother and grandmother were turning Kate against her father.
The girl clearly cares deeply for her dad, but these two women have endangered the bond between them. To make matters worse, Kate has now decided to drop out of university. She believes a man should support the householdwhich, in principle, I actually agree with and tried to instil in my son. Still, heaven help them if they ever run into trouble. Wheres the safety net if something goes wrong? How will she support her husband if times get tough? Incidentally, Ive transferred the flats ownership back to myself, as I know full well Ive raised a bit of a soft touch, if Im honest. Yes, anything owned before marriage stays out of the divorce split, but Kate seems sharp enough to send my gentleman son out with nothing but a pair of socks to his name.
