I was about 12 when my parents divorced, my brother was 17. When I was about 14-15, my mom wanted to move to Alabama to be with her boyfriend. I didn’t want to go, so – I went to live with my dad. My dad was around 58ish when I moved in with him. He was a retired truck driver and was on social security and Medicare.
When I was 15 my parents also bought me a truck (an ’88 GMC Jimmy 4×4 – LOVED it) with the money that was left over from selling the house we grew up in. I got a hardship license so I could drive myself to school and to work. Yes – WORK.
My dad had emphysema, asthma and COPD. He still smoked. I was with him twice when his lungs collapsed. That’s when he finally stopped smoking. We lived in low-income housing apartments. Most the people who lived there were older, there were a few young families with kids my age. We lived next to a retired nurse (who I got each time his lungs collapsed).
I would call dad every time I had the chance to make sure he was okay. At lunch at school, after school, when I got to WORK, when I was leaving work, etc.
I worked Friday after school, and most the day Saturday and Sunday because I wanted to. I didn’t party. I wasn’t that type of kid. You know what I’d do when I got my paycheck every week? I’d fill up my Jimmy (it would last all week), I’d keep about $25 for myself for whatever and I’d give the rest to my dad.
Why? Cause it’s the RIGHT thing to do. I lived there and he’s my father but I had a job. I had extra money. I gave it to him to pay bills because his social security and Medicare checks some times wouldn’t cover everything. I did it cause I wanted to, not because I was ASKED to. I did this until I was 18, graduated high school and moved out. He moved to Alabama to be with his new girlfriend and I didn’t worry about him as much since she was always there with him.
My point – I am sick and tired of seeing all these selfish kids not helping out their family. If you live with your parents, grand parents, aunts, uncles – whatever – they shouldn’t have to ASK you to help out. You should just do it cause its common courtesy. If they don’t work and are getting SS or Medicare or don’t have an income PERIOD or if they are working but still can’t make ends meet – HELP OUT by giving them some money each week or paying the water bill or cable bill. SOMETHING.
This is life. Grow up. Deal with it. If you lived in an apartment, bills would be split right? So what’s the difference in you helping out the people you live with now?
FML……kids these days have NO SENSE of helping their elders. That makes me sound so old (I’m 30) but it’s the truth. If I had the extra money – I’d pay for my mom to get central heat and air or to fix the wiring in her house or fix her roof. I’d even build an in law suite so she could live with us if she wanted to (yeah mom!!!!). But I don’t. Wish I did. I wish I could help my father in law and mother in law 10 times more than what we have, but we can’t.
I’m done ranting. If you come at me all pissed cause I’m saying all this then maybe you should rethink where you stand on this issue.
