parents

Stolen retirement?

Posted on by backuphill

Retired

People who aren’t relatives, but look like their retired. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

This morning’s irritation doesn’t really have anything to do with me, so much as it has to relatives. Well, this isn’t really an irritation for just this morning. This is an ongoing irritation that flairs of on a regular basis, especially when I feel like someone is being taken advantage of.

I have some family members who are generous people. They like to help others.

I have some family members who make poor choices and like to ask for help when things get tough.

As you can see, this combination of two types of family members makes for some behavior enabling and as a result, I don’t think anyone in the situation wins.

The biggest problem here, as I see it, is that the family members who think they are being generous and helpful are the grandparents of said family members who can’t seem to get their adult life and behavior figured out. Sure, the grandparents are free to spend their money as they see fit. They are adults and they are still of sound mind and body (at least as far as any of us are).

However, the issue I have is the frequency with which the grandchildren take advantage of their grandparents’ generosity. Less than six months ago, one of the grandchildren got a huge chunk of money (to the tune of about $3500) so they could move their family into a different rental house, one that was really beyond their means. Now that same grandchild is in need of a more fuel efficient vehicle (rental house is too far from job) and they don’t have the money for that either…and so an offer from the grandparents is on the table again…

I just can’t help but wonder if the grandparents are being robbed of their “golden years”? They live within their means and they obviously know how to manage their money, but we are often told they live meagerly and they can’t afford this or that, or they can’t get a better car for themselves, or they don’t go to doctor because they don’t think they can afford it. It’s stuff like that. Is that really how they should be living in retirement?

As the parent (step-parent/SNL, at that), when is it appropriate to say “Enough is enough” or to “Stop” or to “Step back”? Or, do I just stay out of it and let it go…none of my business kind of thing?

 

Other people’s kids

Posted on by backuphill

focus photo of super mario luigi and yoshi figurines

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Anyone else find other people’s kids annoying?

Not that my kids were perfect by any means, but man I really dislike being around other people’s kids. I don’t really know why. Maybe I am just getting old.

I mean, yeah, I am old. Other people’s kids are loud, obnoxious, messy, whiny, and ill-mannered. They are picky food eaters, when they eat. They always want “play” with you and can’t play Wait, maybe it’s their parents I dislike. I mean, they little attention to their kids because they are focused on their phones, they yell as their kids when they don’t listen but don’t do anything to correct the behavior (“let’s talk about it” and “timeout”?). They seemingly expect other adults in the room to parent their kids for them, but they when you do they are offended that you did.

All I can do is shake my head.

#SMH