When my daughter-in-law lived with me, I was strict with her, did not feel sorry for the girl, and this is what she gave me in gratitude for this.

What to give in gratitude The man who has everything? Unforgettable experiences, like skydiving or underwater travel? Or maybe some little nonsense, not like everyone else? The question is actually rhetorical. Everyone is drawn from a common circle of interests or hobbies. But mostly in this case, attention itself is important. Wealthy and very wealthy people have long been counting on expensive gifts. For them, material is not as important as positive emotions.



Peels are ordinary people who need something. It was they who invented the joke that there are good, bad gifts, and sometimes a book. Ordinary people have always been ironic. It's easier to walk with her. But in their case, you need to ripen at the root. A young family does not need to drag a beautiful picture or a set of records for a record player. An envelope with money will do just fine. Then let them decide for themselves what to do. We seem to be telling the truth here, but no. There is always someone who wants to be authentic. Don't do that.

To my own shame, I consider myself a bad mother-in-law. This is hereditary, everyone says. But I can't help it. I have two children: a son and a daughter. And since their father's death, I have raised them both alone. In the village. Without anyone's help. At that time, my son, who is older than his sister, was 14. And he helped me with the housework. Otherwise, I don't even want to think about what would happen.



Then, when the kids grew up and left, I was alone. Yes, there were difficulties, of course. Without them. But if you look like that, I don't need much. The rest can be taken from the garden. And the chickens are testicles. It's been worse.

Meanwhile, my children found love and settled in the city. The youngest, Katyusha, married a doctor. I'm glad she didn't have a need in her life, except perhaps for her childhood. She always got the most delicious piece. She moved to a very different town, hundreds of miles from our village and is rumored to be living in a house like me. Only not such an old hut as mine, but in a normal, two-storey, one might say, mansion.

She came several times with her grandson. But somehow things didn't go well with her. I brought me a lot of equipment, all sorts of things, and I wanted to see her, talk to her. But no. She left, and remember her name. Once every few months he will call, ask how health is, and hang up the phone. Busy. I had three grandchildren. I just saw them in the pictures. Live, never.



Peels' son, on the contrary, married a girl even poorer than we are. Half-orphan, with no education. First they rented an apartment in the city, then realized that nothing was working, and moved in with me. My daughter-in-law, though not lazy, but from the city. And here, we have a different attitude to things. I saw she was new to rural work. But I never felt sorry for her. I have to bring something. Please cook, please. They did that to me once, they taught me.

But while she was hustling around, I played with their granddaughter. A very beautiful and intelligent girl. She looks a little like her son and a little like her daughter-in-law. I didn't feel sorry for my granddaughter. And I guess the more I loved that girl, the harder I was on her mother. Only now I understand that, for which I am very, very ashamed.



I don’t know whether it’s my fault or because of the search for new opportunities, but my son decided to take his wife with him and go to work in another country. That was the time. Who should I leave my five-year-old granddaughter on? Grandma. There's food, clothes. Well, of course I'll sit with her, why not sit with her? But it was a pity that my son was forced to leave his homeland like this. Well, what a daughter-in-law, so it should be with him, but how else?

They were gone a year and a half. During this time, I became very attached to my granddaughter, taught her various old-fashioned wisdoms, even songs we learned. And then her parents came, picked her up and took her to town. No one asked me for my opinion, but what was I supposed to say? It's their family.

Four years have passed since then. My son sometimes called, even let me talk to my granddaughter. But no one came to me, apparently my daughter-in-law tried. I understood, not a little girl. Life goes on, and everyone has to turn. My neighbors and I supported each other, so everything went as usual. The only thing that bothered me was the condition of the roof of my house. It was literally falling apart. And there was no master or material in the village at all. Sadly, I had to close the hole in winter. Although it was good as a milk goat.

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A month ago, my son’s family finally arrived. All are well-fed, beautiful, and the granddaughter is very adult. It turned out that they made a good profit on their then trip and invested money in one case. And it worked. So now my two kids are in the crowd. I am proud to say that I like it very much.

But what surprised her most was her daughter-in-law. At the table, she did not stop talking about how much good her granddaughter told her about the time she lived with me. I've learned so many useful things. She thanked me very much and seemed to forget how I had chased her in those days. We spoke in private afterwards, and I apologized for my behavior, and she thanked me for the science. They stayed with me for two days and then left. They left some presents, some other things and left.



The next morning a team of workers came to my house with bricks, cement and everything. They said the landlady told them to put my house and even the fence in order. Exactly, mistress. The guys did everything smart, so I didn't even know how to thank them, but they just waved and laughed. This is how people can thank you when you don’t expect it. How unfair I have been in those years. It's a shame to remember. People are often kinder than we think they are. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.