I see that happening from time to time and I have been in the son's shoes many years ago. It was nothing more or less than a royal pain in the ass.
It is the most selfish thing in the world.
I got that crap from my mother because I'm the oldest son. "When are you going to give me grandchildren?" she asked.
"I'm not," I replied.
"But..." she started. Fortunately my father was there.
"But, nothing!" he snapped. "You've got four other children to give you grandkids. Leave him alone!"
Get this in your head, parents. You have no right whatsoever to ask your adult children to reproduce. It is strictly their decision.
Nobody cares if you want grandchildren. It's not about you.
And one other thing, grandparents have no legal standing, either. Nor should they. I always got a kick out of someone I know that told her mother in law that the kids were to have no sweets or sugary drinks. Needless to say, Grandma did what she wanted and got the kids sugared up so she revoked visitation privlidges. The argument got heated so she went to court and got a restraining order which grandma ignored.
The first time grandma ignored it she was escorted off the premises by a policeman. The second time she filed charges and Granny got 90 days for contempt of court with a promise by the judge that the next time it would be a year.
When I heard that story I laughed.
I have to disagree with you on a point of semantics. A parent has every and any right to ask their adult children for anything they want... And those adult children have every right to say no, and create distance between themselves.
ReplyDeleteYou have a right to ask. You have a right to demand. You do not have legal ability to compel.
Agreed. Your point is duly noted. The parents can ask all they want and the adult children can refuse. Still, pressuring one's children to reproduce is a damned selfish thing to do.
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