Advice and/or just plain sympathy wanted please! J
I?m a single mother of three. My ex partner sees the children, but doesn?t contribute any maintenance as he isn?t working. I work full time but have no savings and find it difficult to see the month through. I live in Scotland, near my ex and his parents ( who do try to help me out with some cash and taking the kids for the odd weekend/school holidays etc) but I?m originally from London. My mum died fifteen years ago and never met her grandchildren and I never knew my father. I do have some relatives in London ? cousins of my mum, who I more or less lost touch with after my mum died. I?ve recently been in contact with some of my family members through e-mail, which is going well ? some of them have children the same ages of my children. I?ve been invited to go down for a few days with the kids at the end of December ? and I would dearly love to, but there are a few things stopping me ? I?d like your opinions J
I haven?t seen any of the family in at least ten years. We visited briefly when my daughter was 1. I?m a bit scared of what they will think about what the years have done to me ? my kids can be also occasionally be a bit of a handful ? (like most kids I guess) although they are generally well behaved.
I also can?t afford to go and I?m wary of saying so. I?m grateful for what we have - and I do work hard for it. My kids understand that they get a £30-ish present for xmas and that?s it, but my family all live in big houses and go on holidays etc . I?m dreading them all being dripping in I-pods etc and my kids being ungracious in comparison. I could save up enough for a good trip given time, but i really don?t want to tell my family that are in such a financial guddle.
I?ve said no for xmas because the kids will be seeing their grandparents and it?s a bit much to expect them to be on their best behaviour with all the excitement of Christmas. I then got an invitation for February ? I probably won?t have saved enough to go at that point either. I am terribly homesick and want to see my family, I also want to take the kids to their grannys grave and take them to where I grew up.
What do people think? And what would be the very cheapest way of getting me and three children to London. How do I prepare the kids for relatives they?ve never met? And deflect any ?but so-and-so-has-a-computer-in-her-room? (actually I know the answer to the last one, 'it?s because I'm your mum and I say no!? )
Thanks for advice in advance.