A whole year spent handing over money to our children just to pay off a loan! Never again will I hand out another penny!
My wife and I have one child a grown-up son. Hes got his own family now, so were grandparents these days.
I grew up in post-war England, and I didnt get married until I was 30. Back then, people raised their eyebrows at a bachelor of my age, calling me a confirmed old bachelor. Everyone expected children straight away, of course. Not having kids meant there must be something wrong with you.
Well, my wife and I had our son and decided that would be enough. Being a family of teachers, we knew full well that children are expensive business. The bigger the brood, the more pounds needed to keep everyone afloat.
There was no mystery to our decision raising one child allowed us to give him a good upbringing, ensure he got a solid education, and still have a reasonable life ourselves.
But my son clearly had different ideas. It wasnt long after he tied the knot until his wife, Emily, announced she was expecting. Thats when our grandson arrived. At that time, they didnt have their own home, so they took out a mortgage. Somehow, they managed those monthly payments. But then we heard Emily was pregnant again. Naturally, I asked how they planned to provide for two little ones and repay the house. Well, that didnt go down too well. They were offended and told us theyd manage just fine. So I said, Right, if youre sure, carry on.
And for a while, they kept their heads above water. But then Emily had to give up work, and my son lost his job. They were out of options, so they asked to move into our old flat, which we’d been renting. My wife said we ought to help the youngsters with their mortgage payments. So for twelve months, we paid their mortgage, thinking we were doing the best thing for everyone.
How wrong we were. Only recently did we find out the mortgage hadnt been paid at all it was six months in arrears. Where did all our money go? My wife is fuming, absolutely spent with frustration. As for me, Im stunned. I havent a clue what to say or how to react. We tried to support them and instead they just relied on us and took it as an excuse to be idle. So what now?
If Ive learnt anything from this, its that stepping in to make life easy doesnt help anyone in the long run, least of all the people you love.
