A new mother faced a dilemma when she had to return to work after giving birth to her child.
She urgently needed help caring for her newborn and immediately thought
to his 64-year-old mother, a housewife since 1992. But the grandmother was anything but
excited about the prospect of caring for her grandchild full time and even demanded payment for this.
The young mother shared her story on Reddit and asked for advice when her mother lent her help
linked to clear conditions. The older woman maintained that she already had hers
I raised children and now, at 64, I am too old for such a task. She also told her daughter:
that she should have considered staying home if she wanted a child. She and her husband had decided
one day to stay home and take care of the children.
would take care of him while he earned money. To her, it seemed natural
that his daughter and her partner should also find
the way to start a “traditional” family.
But the 29-year-old mother explained that she could not afford it financially.
After the pandemic, the young family was struggling economically and heavily in debt.
With an income of $55,000 per year and debts totaling nearly $60,000,
she simply couldn’t afford to stay home.
Her partner, who earned $36,000 a year, didn’t earn much either
enough to support the family.
Grandma charged $20 an hour for babysitting,
additional costs in case of late collection and compensation
for the return of the child to the mother.
She also wanted a car seat and stroller since babysitting wasn’t
an option in his own apartment.
The girl found these demands unreasonable, especially since they already lived in
a small one-room apartment and were trying to
save money to move to a larger apartment.
What started as a seemingly simple solution
ended in a conflict between mother and daughter.
Eventually, the couple decided to place the newborn in daycare,
because it was financially cheaper and more convenient.
The Reddit community responded to the story with little understanding.
Many commentators criticized the young mother and pointed out that
that childcare is a demanding job.
They believed that the retired grandmother had the right
demand payment or refuse the task altogether.
Some even went so far as to say that the young woman should not have children,
if she couldn’t afford their care.
The story paints the new mother in an unflattering light,
as someone who makes rash decisions and does not respect
not his mother’s hard work and her right to an independent life.
