There is never a dull moment at Medix pharmacy. Almost everyday we meet different people from various cultural backgrounds, faiths and religions sharing their social problems with us and thus today was no different. This morning a middle aged woman came to the pharmacy for her medication and I could see that something was bothering her. Whilst chatting to her she decided to reveal her domestic issues. She was a single mom all her life. She worked hard to put her kids through school and university and got them married too. She has four grand children that she loves to bits. So why is she so miserable and unhappy you may ask yourself. The answer is quite simple. Now that it is her time to sit back, relax, travel and enjoy the finer things in life she has suddenly become a maid or a nanny to her children and 4 grandchildren.Everyday her grand kids are sent to her home at seven am in the morning whilst their parents go to work. She needs to give them breakfast and send them off to school. She then comes home, prepares lunch for them along with making two pots of food.. one for her son and one for her daughter. She then assists the grand children with the home work, bathes the kids in the evening and gets them ready to be picked up at 6pm. She has no social life of her own. She feels she wants to go out to the movies with her friends or travel abroad. Whenever she brings this subject up she is told by her kids that she is being selfish as they pay for her medical aid and monthly expenses. The sad and unfortunate part is that there are many grand parents out there who are in exactly the same situation. The kids want to have a rosy lifestyle.. Wake up late in the morning, go to the gym, enjoy social gatherings with their friends whilst the poor grand parents need to overlook the grand children. When I was young, my mother did everything for me. She never dumped us with my grandparents. I was her child and hence her own responsibility. Today's young parents find it perfectly acceptable to make their parents work for them instead of making their parents lives easier. This is exactly what the Prophet (saw) envisaged centuries ago. As our parents age, they don't have the patience with kids any longer.There is only so much they can do. Instead of burdening them with your own responsibilities rather find other avenues of dealing with issues. Having children is your own choice in life. If you cant deal with the consequences, then DON'T HAVE KIDS... Simple....
Picture courtesy: http://keyw.com/the-keys-advice-column-help-our-parents-are-ruining-my-wedding/
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