My husband and I consider ourselves a respectable English family. This is our first marriage, and after twenty-five years together, weve always made it a point never to argue in front of our daughter and to show affection and care for one another. Generally speaking, our marriage has been a happy one. We hoped that by providing a loving example, our daughter would learn from us and eventually create a successful family of her own. After all, like the saying goes, The apple doesnt fall far from the tree.
But this is where things become complicated. Our daughter isnt married yet, but she does have a boyfriend. Two years ago, my mother passed away and left behind a flat in Manchester. My husband and I agreed we would pass it down to our daughter. Now, our daughter has told us that she is living there with her boyfriend.
We dont mind that she has her own personal life. However, this boyfriend of hers is an absolute nightmare. He doesnt lift a finger around the place and wont do anything youd expect a man to handle. If the tap starts leaking or a bulb needs changing, our daughter immediately rings her father for help. Ive asked her time and again why her boyfriend never does anythingshe just shrugs and stays silent. She keeps promising that hell step up sooner or later.
Recently we also discovered hes unemployed. That means he isnt bringing in so much as a penny, and our daughter has had to shoulder everything herself. She works two jobs just to support the both of them. I cant help but feel that her boyfriend doesn’t truly care for her.
Ive told her that shes made a poor choice, but she won’t hear a word of it. She believes hell turn his life around and that theyll be happy. She loves him dearly. And since I love my daughter, the worry weighs heavily on my heart.
If theres one thing Ive learned, its that we can show our children the best examples, but in the end, they must find their own wayeven if that means learning some of lifes hard lessons for themselves.
