I am new to this board. I'm a 33-year old childfree woman with a wonderful, also childfree 47-year-old common-law husband of 2 years. His Mom [God love her] is 87, the mother of 10.
My SO is the youngest of her 10 kids. Several of the boys died but she has 6 kids remaining, ranging from 60+ down.
Guess what? My SO lived with her and supported her financially and otherwise until we got together [long story]. He cut wood [older folks tend to like the wood stoves
and paid all the bills, bought groceries, etc.
Now, he's just finished training for a new career and has to be away from home for weeks at a time. While he was in school, he went to visit her every week, buying her groceries, still keeping the house up, etc.
Now that he's not around sometimes, guess who gets to do this? One of her other 5 kids, who live within 10 miles? Nope. Yours truly, who lives 2 hours away.
now don't get me wrong. I love her, and am happy to do it. I feel nothing but love and respect for the elderly. I think they deserve all the accomodations and attention currently lavished on children, who are, after all, hardy and robust little things. If i didn't do this, she would literally starve to death [she never drove, lives in a very rural area, and doesn't go out]. SO's disabled brother also lives with her, so she's not alone. but he can't do it either.
My point is, give me a break about children looking after you in your old age. If if wasn't for my SO, his rotten selfish breeder sisters would have her in a nursing home quicker than you could blink and be fighting over the house [she has no $$$, except a paltry pension]. Granted, he does look after her, wonderfully. However, he's the only one of her children who doesn't have kids of his own, and 1 in 10 doesn't seem good odds to me. Basically, she's luckier than most, and it took 10 kids to have one responsible, loving one to care for her in her old age. Sheesh.
Just my $.02.