My mother pretends to be ill to avoid work and lives off us.
Mum never had the slightest inclination to work. While my father was alive, she didnt need to worryhe handled everything, brought home the money, and she stayed home, enjoying her role as a housewife. But now, after his passing, she seems to think its my wifes and my job to support her. And we disagree.
Mum married youngjust 19. My father, six years older, was already a university graduate with a steady job and a comfortable salary to support a family without a hitch.
She loved telling their love story as if it were a fairytalelove at first sight, that one glance that changed everything, the sudden certainty he was the one.
I believed it until I turned 15. Then I realised the truth: Mum never wanted to study or build a career. Marriage was her perfect solution, a golden ticket to an easy life without responsibilities.
She got pregnant quickly, had me, and declared shed look after me full-timeno nursery, no nanny, no outside help. Dad, protective and proud to provide for her, agreed without question.
I never set foot in a nursery, but I wasnt a difficult child. Mum would plop me in a sandpit, and Id entertain myself for hours. Shed hand me toys, and I wouldnt bother her.
She never bothered to learn a skill, get a qualification, or spend a single day working outside the home. A professional housewife, as she proudly called herself.
I never judged her lifestyle. If Dad was fine with it, who was I to complain?
But when he died, her world crumbled. She didnt organise the funeral, sort the paperworkshe just lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, repeating, What am I going to do? How will I survive?
At first, I thought she was grieving. But slowly, I understoodit wasnt losing Dad that crushed her, it was losing her financial safety net.
Dad left her some savings, but it was obvious the money wouldnt last forever.
Six months after his death, she had a brilliant idea: sell our three-bed flat and buy two smaller onesone for her, one for me, but mine would be rented out so she could live off the income.
In her mind, it was perfect. In reality, it was delusional. The sale money wouldnt cover two properties. And even if it couldwhy should I sacrifice my future so she could keep doing nothing?
My wife and I are already paying off a mortgage. We cant afford to fund someone elses life. So I told her straight: Mum, youre an adult. Its time to work.
She protested but reluctantly took a job at a corner shop. And thats when the tragedy began.
Every phone call was a whinge: Im exhausted! My legs hurt! I cant keep doing this!
Every week, shed sob down the phone, begging for help, saying she couldnt take it anymore.
Then, last winter, she had a real accidentslipped on black ice and broke her leg. Two months in a cast, unable to move. Naturally, her employer let her go. And who had to step in?
Us.
We covered her rent, groceries, medicine. What else could we do?
But once she recovered, she suddenly developed a host of new ailments.
High blood pressure. Migraines. Back pain. Dizziness. Any illness you can name, she claimed to have it.
Doctors ran tests. Nothing serious. But she played the part so well, we kept giving her money, guilty at the thought of abandoning her.
Until I put my foot down.
This month, I snapped. I paid her bills, handed her £850, and said, Thats the last of it. From now on, youre on your own.
She burst into tears, called me a disgrace, accused me of abandoning her.
But honestly? I dont care. Shes perfectly healthy. If she wont work, she can find a rich bloke to take care of her. At 55, shes still got the looks for it.
So tell meam I being too harsh? Or have I finally done the right thing?
