Katharina Buczek
Three years ago, this man’s wife tragically passed away in a car accident, leaving him as a single father to their three children– who are now 11, 8, and 5-years-old.
This was obviously an extremely difficult transition for him, as he had to deal with grief while trying to provide for his kids alone at the same time.
But, he claimed that thanks to therapy and a strong support system, his children have gotten through it and are now healthy, happy, and thriving.
More recently, though, a family debate that began way before his wife’s death has cropped up again– and he is not sure how to deal with it.
Apparently, in his wife’s culture, it is customary for kids to care for their parents during their older age. So, his in-laws expected this from his wife.
He and his wife talked about this expectation extensively both before and after they got married. And honestly, he admitted to the topic causing a lot of fights in their relationship.
“Because I felt that our focus should be on our kids and doing everything we could to give them a good life,” he explained.
So, while his wife wanted to let her parents live in their home, he disagreed because of cost and space reasons. And in the end, they eventually both agreed to help his in-laws pay for a condo or a different living arrangement– just not a house.
Unfortunately, though, they never actually got to discuss how that was going to work before his wife passed away.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.