The situation is like this. When my daughter had a baby, I tried to help her: I sat with my granddaughter, went for walks with her, fed her, washed her onesies. I tried to give my daughter a rest, because I know how hard it is with a baby.
But then, they began to take my help for granted. My daughter and her husband began to go to the fitness gym, driving classes, going out with friends, and they brought my granddaughter with the words, “Sit down, we have things to do. And never mind that I have plans, too. I believe that I can, at least in retirement, make time for myself and my “wants.”
My daughter could call me in the afternoon and tell me to pick up my granddaughter from day care, she can’t because they have a corporate party planned, and my son-in-law is away on a fishing trip.
Yes, I was angry and went to get my granddaughter, not to leave her in the garden.
And today something completely out of the ordinary happened. My daughter called and told me that they were going to Turkey for two weeks, to relax. I was happy for them and said that my granddaughter would benefit from the sea. But it turned out that they were flying without a baby, so they decided that my granddaughter would stay with me for that time. Just like that. They didn’t even ask me! They just put me in front of the fact.
And I couldn’t take it anymore and told my daughter that I wasn’t a babysitter. They have a child and have to plan their lives on the premise that they have a child. Travel, leisure time, and all sorts of “wants” should be built with the fact that they are parents.
I asked my daughter why this decision was made without asking me? My daughter said: “You’re retired. You have nothing to do anyway.” I told my daughter that I refused to sit with my granddaughter and that I also had plans for that time, that my friend and I would go to a boarding house to rest. And let them take my granddaughter with them to the sea.
That’s how I fought with my daughter. My daughter told me that I was a terrible grandmother. And I just think that I’m not a babysitter and not a servant.
