Monday 8 March 2010

which unhappiness is worse?

Last night at dinner with hubby, we were discussing the universal difficulty of raising small children while withstanding the pressure of aging parents. (One of the reasons for my conviction that people should have more than one child.) We were bemoaning the state of mind of both our mothers, and how miserable they must be with their respective problems, etc. But I realized, that if I had to choose, I would rather suffer my mother's unhappiness than my mother-in-law's. Marisa spent her life raising kids who don't speak to each other, stood by the side of a husband who never treated her that well, and is now alone, with no purpose in life. Add to that she never finished middle school, has no hobbies, interests, or pursuits, nor does she have any interest in starting any. She is also unable to change: she doesn't trust change, doesn't like it, doesn't want it, doesn't even consider it an option in anything. And yet at 75, she is built like an ox, and works from sun-up to sun-down. But what kind of life is that?

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