I was raised by my gran, and nowwould you believe itmy parents have decided I should pay them child support.
My family and I live in completely different places. We havent seen each other in over two decades. They work as performers, singing in choirs up and down the countrytheir whole existence is like one never-ending tour bus ride. When I turned five, gran took me in. She fancied a bit of an easier life, so we ended up packing our bags and moving in with her sister. Family shuffle, as it were.
At the start, Mum and Dad would drop by twice, maybe three times a year. Then the visits trickled down to nothing. Eventually, I stopped thinking about them altogether, and in the end we lost all contact. While I was slogging it out as a dental student, I got married in my third yearcall me a multitasker.
Now, my husband and I run our own dental practice, and, to be frank, business is booming. About a year ago, out of thin air, my parents resurfaced. They started phoning the clinic, didnt even have my mobile numbernothing. Our chats could be summed up as them moaning about how hard life is.
Being the polite sort, Id let them get it off their chest, but pointed out, ever so gently, that when they palmed me off on Gran, that was their choice. Occasionally, theyd flick a few quid Grans way, but, for the most part, she and I survived off her pension. Gran often mentioned this, and I understoodwe had to pinch pennies for everything.
At school, I did well. To afford books and a halfway decent coat, I worked nights as a hospital porter. Now I feel I’ve built my own life, and my parents have theirs. Seems fair we both stick to our own lanes.
But once it dawned on Mum and Dad that I wasnt going to bail them out, they started muttering about taking me to court for maintenance. That, honestly, was the last straw. If Id ever hesitated or felt a twinge of guilt about helping them out before, well, it vanished like biscuits at a coffee morning. Now I don’t even want to know them.
What do you think? Am I heartless, or is it fair enough to let them stew in their own gravy?
