Woman explains to her pregnant daughter that she will not raise another child for her
Parents should always be at their child's side, but there comes a point in life where a grown child has to take responsibility and "walk on their own two feet" - especially if they are about to become a parent. A Reddit user posted a story to the popular platform asking followers to share their opinion on a recent conflict she had had with her pregnant daughter.
The woman, is 56 years old, and her daughter, Kelly, is 33. She, in turn, has a daughter, Opal, aged 16. Kelly got pregnant when she was just sixteen and she begged her parents to keep the baby, so her parents agreed to help her raise her daughter.
via Reddit
"We helped her a lot, as Kelly was only seventeen when our grandaughter, Opal, was born. However, Kelly helped very little, even when she was available. Even asking her to watch Opal for an hour while we ran errands was a problem," explained Kelly's mother. The young woman chose not to go to university after graduating from school. She had a flexible job, but she rarely made herself available for Opal's care. She only came home to sleep or to dress up for some party. She also relied on her parents to purchase of basic necessities for her child and for booking medical visits, for example. Her mother and her husband, Eddy, talked to Kelly many times about the need for her to step forward as a parent, but their daughter only made empty promises and never kept them.
Kelly left home when she Opal was six. Since then, she has visited her parents about once every two weeks and during the holidays. "Basically it was just me and Eddy who raised Opal," the woman stated. Their grandaughter is fine: she has good friends, plays tennis, participates in volunteer projects and plans to become a marine biologist after graduation.
"Opal's school year ended last week, so we threw a nice dinner party to celebrate her good grades. Kelly was there too, along with other family members. We were chatting and enjoying dinner together when Kelly suddenly called for everyone's attention. She got up to announce that she was pregnant by her current boyfriend. Eddy and I didn't say anything and Kelly started saying that she and her boyfriend were 'so busy' with their lives right now, obviously hinting that she wanted to entrust the new arrival to our care," said Kelly's mother.
Kelly's parents, now highly annoyed, told Kelly bluntly that they will have nothing to do with raising this new child and neither will they provide any furhter financial support. The result was a heated argument that divided the family in two: some relatives accused the couple of being too harsh with their daughter; others fully supported them. However, the couple took care to say that their granddaughter, Opal, "was a blessing for us, but this changes nothing. Kelly is now 33 and must learn to take on the responsibilities of a parent in all senses".
Most users agreed with the couple: "Your daughter has already completely ignored Opal. Making an announcement at Opal's end-of-year party was also rude behavior. It's not a baby shower party, is it? Because if it's not, it would make Kelly's behavior appear even worse. Maybe you didn't let her know how you felt in the most diplomatic of ways, but I guess this is not possible, as Kelly has made it clear that she doesn't really care about her children. "
What do you think about this story?
