Friday, 7th June
The issue with my husbands flat is gnawing at me again, and I just cant get it off my mind. His aunt left him a small flat right in the heart of London nothing grand, but perfectly located. Weve got three children together: our eldest, Emily, is nineteen now and at university; our son Oliver is twelve; and little Henry is only five. Our own home is comfortable, with three bedrooms, so space isn’t really a problem at the moment.
A spat broke out between us over his flat. I suggested it would be sensible for Emily to move in shes growing up, and soon enough she might want a place of her own when she settles down. My husband, though, firmly disagrees. He sees it as dreadfully unfair on the boys and thinks it would be better to sell the flat and split the money equally between all three children. But Im convinced thats a terrible idea by the time the money gets divided up and given to each, there wont be nearly enough to buy anything worthwhile, not in London, not anywhere nearby.
If we did as he wants, the money would just sit untouched in their bank accounts until the boys turn eighteen, and meanwhile, Emily could maybe afford an old second-hand car with her share. Ive always believed its better to give something meaningful to at least one child a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, as we say. We could always find a way to help the boys when theyre older.
But my husband worries that giving the flat to Emily would breed resentment, damaging her relationship with her brothers, and hes convinced theyd never forgive her. Im not sure hes right, though. The boys havent really grasped the whole situation, so we still have time to think things through and plan for everyones future.
We havent said a word to Emily about all of this yet. The truth is, were holding off talking to anyone because the flat itself is in a dreadful state and needs major renovations; as it stands, nobody could live there, and we simply dont have the money to make it habitable at the moment.
I keep circling back to the question: am I being stubborn, or is my position the sensible one? Is it wiser to back down and go along with my husbands planor perhaps theres a better solution waiting to be discovered, something neither of us has considered? Im left wondering what someone else would do in our shoes.
