I have a grown-up son and daughter, whom my husband and I educated, helped buy a house, and babysat our grandchildren. Now I live alone, my husband died five years ago.
My pension is small, barely enough to pay for everything I need, and sometimes, when I buy medicine, I literally save money on food.
My children know very well what my pension is, but they have never once offered to help. Once I mentioned that they should pay half of the communal services, because the apartment will be theirs after I pass away. My son pretended he did not understand the hint, and my daughter said that she barely pays for her own apartment. How is it possible to believe this, if they spend every year with their families abroad, and not in Egypt, but at expensive resorts. There are cars, which also require care and investment of money, but, nevertheless, do not want to go to work by public transport, it is not comfortable. And it would still be a significant savings.
My daughter likes to buy new clothes every month, spoil my granddaughter with money, for pocket expenses give more than my pension. I am silent about my son, my daughter-in-law disposes of everything there, and even if he wanted to help, she will not allow it. When my neighbor tells me that her children pay her rent, bring her groceries, and have been sending her to the sea for years, I feel offended, because I helped my children just as much as she did. I used to borrow money from her, but now I’m embarrassed, I’m afraid she’ll ask me why my children don’t help financially.
I remember how my parents helped me and my sister in every way they could, but we also thanked them, we never went to them empty-handed, we bought coal and firewood for the winter, and later we also bought gas for them with our own money. No one hinted to us, we knew ourselves that it was necessary, and I guess I could not bring up my children correctly. I would not mind to move in with my daughter for a year or two, and his apartment to rent, I would save a little money, and maybe I would live on them, but I’m afraid to tell her about it. Although the apartment they have allows me to live there too.
I do not know how other retirees live on their pensions, I do not get, although I am very thrifty. While my husband was alive, even when he retired, he continued to work, but instead of saving a little for his old age, we gave everything to our children. They needed it more then. And this is the kind of gratitude from their side.
