Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Supporting elderly parents who were insistent on 'enjoying retirement'

999 replies

Keeg · 02/04/2019 07:31

NC in case I get slaughtered...

When my kids were young we could have really done with GP help, but there were very much (as is most of mumsnet!) of the school off thinking ‘we’re done raising kids’. I coped, I raised children and I knew it was my responsibility... but I’ll admit I had some
Unvoiced resentment. DH and I had similar jobs to them, but a higher level, but we never had been able to access the housing etc they had due to the much higher childcare and housing costs. They’ve lived nearby in great affluence whilst their grandchildren were wearing second hand, a bit overcrowded etc. Obviously not their problem, but on the flip side they had great capacity to help and didn’t chose to exercise it. They probably spent 6k-12k on holidays a year, whereas 1k for us would have meant for example being able to run a car.

They didn’t offer childcare bar very very occasional inconvenient seeings, for example 1-2pm on Saturday, wanting them dropped off and at a time of day with heavy traffic (turning an 8min drive into a 40min) and meaning there was no time to do anything else. I remember an occasion my son had a last minute amazing opportunity and they couldn’t help by watching his sister (I later found out it was because she wanted to go and see a film at the cinema, 15 min walk away and on for months multiple times a day). They retired pre 60 with big lump sums and pensions, very active and able. No issue with health.

I left them to it, never commented, it’s their life. But I’ll admit I was underneath jealous of every friend who seemed to have GP helping. BUT they are now older, they are needing support and I’m not feeling at all warm in rearranging my life to give it. For example dad can’t drive right now, temporary due to an OP, and he wants hospital lifts. I feel like saying ‘get a cab’ because of all the times I wished for help. It’s hugely local, and I being petty? Or have others felt like this. In the long run, although I get on with them, I don’t feel like every offering to let them move in. They didn’t help their parents (who did offer childcare). I guess I feel a bit heartless but a bit ‘you made your bed, now lie in it’. Being nice I think, we’ll they obviously raised me as a child, but then on the other hand I think their expectations were that links stopped at 18. I don’t dislike them, but I don’t feel hugely bonded to them either and more like people not related that get on

OP posts:
malificent7 · 03/04/2019 11:23

This is probably the most depressing thread ive read for a long time. I totally agree wity the op but its a sad state when grandparents dont want to know their gc.

Im also a bit torn...im happy for my dad to go on holiday ...i wish he'd do something really adventurous like go to India...his lifelong dream..but that's another thread.
He does help with childcare so i will help him in old age but ft carer? NO!
Also it does rankle when my financial situation gets sneered at....especially when he has loads of inheritance.

MammaSchwifty · 03/04/2019 11:25

Some of the behaviours displayed by parents and parents in law recounted on here sound more akin to feral cats than to human beings. Washing your hands of your offspring once they reach the age of 18? How sad and insular. The dressing gown example shared by the OP is so depressing.

SunshineCake · 03/04/2019 11:31

@AndOfCourseHenryTheHorse, thank you so much for your kind words. I'm in tears her as those few words are so kind and have made such a difference to me. You've no idea how you've helped. Thank you Flowers.

AndOfCourseHenryTheHorse · 03/04/2019 11:48

Och not at all sunshine! I absolutely meant it Smile. All the best to you Flowers.

helzapoppin2 · 03/04/2019 11:50

I’m terrifically amused by the idea that baby boomers are entitled people who had everything handed to them on a plate. That doesn’t tie in with my experience at all.

EveryJune · 03/04/2019 11:50

In some Asian families I've met, everybody helps each other out, financially and in so many other ways, childcare, etc. (Though there is a downside if you want to do your own thing I guess.)

Some British families are like that - maybe less extreme. But others are harsh and young adults are expected to make their own way. Its not just a question of being independent and forging your own life, which is a good thing, but more just a general kind of disinterest and coldness.

However, it wasn't that long ago when 15 year old girls went into service a long way from home (the origins of Mothers Day I believe, when such girls went to their home Parish once a year to see their church and family). However, these days, when people say proudly "I don't expect any help from my parents" and so forth, I do just think its part of the same coldness.

StreamsFullOfStars · 03/04/2019 12:25

Wow, there's some sweeping and ridiculous generalisations here. It's nothing to do with race, age, money etc etc. It's to do with the fact that some people, through no fault of their own, have cold-hearted selfish parents who do fuck all to support their adult children when they could very easily do so and where any decent, nice person would willingly do so. It's about whether someone has your back or has hung you out to dry time and time again, when you could have really needed support. After decades of that sort of treatment, they don't deserve to suddenly have the other person rally round in their hour of need. If you haven't ever been in the position where you've been on the receiving end of years and years of that sort of treatment then you aren't really in a position to judge.

Having said that, although I have some clear boundaries as to what I will and won't do, now that the tables have been turned, if I really think about it I actually do quite a lot and a hell of a lot more than what was ever done for us which was diddly squat. I guess, like some posters say, it's about doing what you feel is the right thing. But that's not the same as being a complete door mat and providing live-in care, personal care, daily visits, free taxi service etc etc.

Hearhere · 03/04/2019 12:36

Demanding that their children's serve them by providing lifts etc when they could easily afford to pay for taxis, it's a power thing isn't it, a way of showing that they are still at the top of the pyramid

HoozThatGirl · 03/04/2019 12:41

Some of the behaviours displayed by parents and parents in law recounted on here sound more akin to feral cats than to human beings.Washing your hands of your offspring once they reach the age of 18? How sad and insular

This is an interesting comment.

I have adult children now but they were young when I first came on MN many, many years ago.
If you follow threads about teenagers and in particular older teens who are perhaps going to uni or starting work, there is a huge cohort on MN who seem to think that once a child reaches 18 they should somehow be emotionally and financially independent. Parents who continue to support their DC are derided and their DC labelled entitled. Are those posters the same ones who's own parents withdrew from them at 18? Often yes. The comment "why are you doing this for your adult child", is frequently followed by the fact that their parents did nothing for them and they were forced to be self sufficient from 18.

My own situation is that I am of the evil baby boomer generation. My parents were poor and I supported them financially when I was 18. We were never close and my siblings and I were neglected emotionally as children
I now help my mother dutifully with visits and hospital trips because it's the right thing to do.
My own DC on the other hand will continue to receive financial help and emotional support as long as I live.

The sweeping ageist comments on this thread are offensive.

jacks11 · 03/04/2019 12:57

I'm a bit on the fence about this. Ultimately, OP I think you have to decide what would sit best with your conscience and don't give anything which is done whole begrudged. Going against your conscience will eat away at you and doing something you utterly begrudge will just leave you bitter and resentful. Both will be more of a blight on your life than anyone else's. Only you can decide where that line is for you.

Although I do find some of the bitterness and entitlement displayed on the thread quite odd.

I had a good childhood, some ups and downs, but on the whole fine- it isn't like my DC's life as expectations and opportunities were quite different then and I wouldn't try to do a direct comparison. OP's childhood sounds quite similar and it seems she doesn't think her childhood was a bad one. Her gripe is that her parents haven't provided childcare or financial support as she might have hoped and feels they were selfish in prioritising their own needs and wants over her/their DGC. I'm not sure that deserves a "fuck them" as some posters have put it. Or that you just cut them off or ignore them.

I think some of the examples given by OP were selfish- e.g. not helping with childcare to allow a one off opportunity for their grandson because they wanted to go the cinema. So I can see that they haven't been the most supportive of parents and that OP could have wished for more from them. So I can understand some of her feelings. I don't know that not providing her with the money to fund a car comes even though they could have afforded to do so comes into the same category.

I think it would be reasonable to do some things, if OP is free to do so, but I don't think it unreasonable to say no to full-time or frequent care. An occasional lift to a hospital appointment, if free and not too inconvenient, wouldn't seem like too much to me. But if OP doesn't want to, then she shouldn't.

However, I do think parents ARE entitled to enjoy their retirement and spend time doing as they want without being committed to childcare (either regular or whenever it's decided they are needed) or having their spending examined by their adult DC to decide if they have been to extravagant and should have given their DC the money instead. I find it odd to consider yourself entitled to your parents time or money (or if not entitled, hard done-by if you don't receive money which you feel they could spare and would help you out). Surely you should stand on your own two feet by the time you are having children? Helping out in a crisis is one thing- supporting adult DC's day to day spending or more routine things such as funding a car is not something I would expect to be doing for an adult child (perhaps a first car, but not really beyond that) and not something I would expect from my parents.

I had a very close relationship with my DGM. And she did not do regular childcare for my mum, although she did live several hours drive away. We visited during summer and october holidays and we would see them at christmas too. When we were older, they took us for a week in the summer holidays. But that was it. You don't need to do regular childcare to build a close and loving relationship with your grandparents. I also think you have to bear in mind how many DGC they have. You may only be asking for a day or two- but what if they have 2 or 3 sets of DGC?

My DM has done quite a lot of childcare for me (I'm very grateful and she volunteered) and has a great relationship with DC. My DF less so and hasn't done a huge amount of childcare himself (has been around when DM has been there). PIL have done far less- partly because they have 13 grandchildren and partly because they have really busy lives. I don't think that you can expect heavily involved childcare for 13 DGC, personally. I think they aren't as close to DC as my parents, but I do think they love all their grandchildren and don't hold it against them like it is some sort of competition or "minimum standard" to be marked against.

I don't think I have ever sat down and worked out how much care I would do for each set of parents, based upon how much childcare they have provided or how much money they have given us. I won't be moving either set of parents into my home or doing full time care because I work full time (and currently have primary school aged DC) and don't think I could cope with full-time caring- though my parents do live in a "granny cottage" on our property. And I don't think either set of parents would expect that. I would help in a crisis or short-term if needed- not because they've helped me but because I love my parents and I wouldn't want them to suffer. TBH, I have given an elderly neighbour who was struggling to get to hospital appointments a lift and I didn't know her that well. I didn't expect something in return. So I'd probably do it for a parent I wasn't overly fond of. But I would draw a line about what I feel able and willing to do- just as my parents/PIL have done and just as OPs parents have done.

On the flip side, I don't feel entitled to my parents or PIL's money or begrudge them spending on themselves and doing things they enjoy. So if they choose to spend it on a nice car or holidays or a new kitchen or whatever- that's fine because it is THEIR MONEY. Not mine to covet because I am not as well off and be resentful that they are able to enjoy life while my finances are tight. When I think back to where my parents were at a similar age to me, they were in a similar position to me really. They certainly have more spare cash then they did then. They managed, and cut their cloth to match their means. I do think some people don't seem to be able to do that very well and want the "bank of mum & dad" to pay for choices they make.

Ultimately, surely part of growing up and becoming an adult is taking responsibility for your choices? That includes budgeting to live within your means and not expecting other people to support your life choices by giving up a proportion of their retirement.

Alsohuman · 03/04/2019 12:58

You’re right @Hooz, but casual ageism, along with total disrespect for other people’s religious beliefs, is rife on MN. Racism and sexism are (rightly) dropped on from a great height but anyone born before c1965 is fair game.

RosaWaiting · 03/04/2019 13:00

Torches I hope your mum took that on board.

OP, I posted originally to say I completely get it. My parents helped me, I help them - there's only mum now - but even I have to draw boundaries with a much loved mum who still would give me everything!

I look at the stories on here and I'm shocked by parents who apparently come by and expect to be waited on...! Or have millions in the bank and won't offer £ help etc. I wouldn't link it to culture or generation either, just different natures. One of mum's best friends left her money to her grandchildren "because I don't want my daughters to become lazy". WTAF!!

RosaWaiting · 03/04/2019 13:03

Actually this is making me miss my dad now

when I worked two jobs, he would come by with fresh cooked food I could put in the freezer. And he'd wrap individual slices of his homed made apple pie to go in the freezer as well.

justasking111 · 03/04/2019 13:04

I am a bit baffled by parents at the private school DC`s attended. They pay school fees up to the age of 18 then make the children take on debts/loans at uni. I am talking about wealthy parents here. OH said that he thinks education costs are part of being a parent. So we have always paid the uni. fees, accommodation, and food costs. We now have two working at good careers and one about to embark on his uni. education. We will pay for him through uni. as well.

I have been following the student room etc. where children are cut adrift there are some sad stories there.

MadameAnchou · 03/04/2019 13:07

Kindness is greatly overrated. «Be kind» is a form of emotional blackmail

This. And a form of social conditioning used to control women.

Alsohuman · 03/04/2019 13:09

Sweet Jesus. I’m glad the form of feminism I signed up for doesn’t require me to bin my humanity. You did know men can be - and are - kind too?

Siameasy · 03/04/2019 13:10

Kindness is greatly overrated. «Be kind» is a form of emotional blackmail

Amen
I see this so much in online parenting groups
“I’m teaching my child to be kind aren’t I great!”
Bah I’m trying to to teach my child NOT to be a doormat. “Be appropriate” is my motto.

RunAlexRun · 03/04/2019 13:12

It does irk me somewhat that women are always expected to be 'lovely' and 'kind' whilst there aren't always the same expectations of men.

formerbabe · 03/04/2019 13:13

The 'be kind' memes always annoy me. Thanks for articulating why!

MariaNovella · 03/04/2019 13:14

“Be kind” = shut up and serve me - with a smile

RosaWaiting · 03/04/2019 13:16

I've never thought of being kind as being servile.

formerbabe · 03/04/2019 13:17

"be kind" is quite passive aggressive

MariaNovella · 03/04/2019 13:22

It’s not always an issue of being servile. But it definitely can be. My mother, and many of her friends, were of a generation of women who were not equipped with skills of rational argument, money making etc. They needed to use emotional manipulation to get what they wanted in life. «Don’t be unkind» was a frequent refrain which meant «Do as I want/say or I will cry»

Alsohuman · 03/04/2019 13:35

Seems as if the definition of kindness has changed. To me it's treat other people as you wish to be treated.

MixedColours · 03/04/2019 13:50

Its not "ageism". Why do people keep using this word? Because you disagree with someone on MN it has to be made into racism, ageism, sexism blah blah to close down debate usually plus a bit of virtue signalling thrown whilst making zero contribution to the discussion. Inevitably we are talking about different age groups, and generations, so I don't see that as ageist per se. Some of the statements are sweeping and generalising, but there can be some truth in some generalisations too, as we look and ponder about the world around us.

Anyway, there's an interesting discussion to be had somewhere (but this now bunfight thread isn't it). Alot of people are now just taking positions against straw men, and just getting outraged for its own sake.

Over and out.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.