My Parents Promised Us a Generous Sum of Money If I Got Pregnant, But My Husband and I Soon Realised We Had Been Deceived

Im an only childapparently long-awaited, but judging by the state of things, maybe not very cherished. Fast forward to me at 23, five months pregnant and having an existential crisis: Am I even biologically related to these people? My parents are both in their seventies, and our finances are nothing short of disastrous. We live in a rented flat, forever teetering on the edge of eviction. My husband and I juggle studying and working, but between tuition and living costs, were often patching up holes in our budget with blue-tack and hope. Twice now, weve been one foot out the door for not paying the rent and had to borrow cash from friends just to keep a roof over our heads. Debts and the cost of beans are a constant, and honestly, sometimes my parents will show up with a bag of groceries to tide us over.
My parents were ever so eager for us to tie the knot, so last year we dashed off to the local registry office for a no-frills wedding. They wasted no time nagging about grandkids. My mum repeated like a broken record how it was imperative I have a child, so you dont end up an ancient parent like me. Needless to say, we werent exactly rushing to add nappies to the shopping listhaving a baby felt like a mammoth financial responsibility.
Thats when my parents came up with an offer that sounded like something out of a daytime soap: Have a baby, and well give you a sizeable chunk of money to buy a cottage in the countryside. Well move out to the sticks, you can have our flat in the city, and everyone wins. After a family pow-wow, we decided this wasnt the worst idea ever. I mean, no more wrestling with dodgy landlords, and we could use the leftover quid for, you know, actually living. My mum promised to play Mary Poppins while I finished my degree and assured us of their unyielding financial support.
Of course, none of this came to pass. Not even a single nappy materialised from their end. My mums main contribution during my pregnancy? Phoning to interrogate me about baby prep, when I was scraping together pennies for basic baby grows. Her brilliant solution was that my husband should get a third job (because were apparently running a relay race, not a life). Every time I reminded her about their promises, shed play the amnesia card and then give us a lecture about being reckless and impractical.
When my daughter finally arrived, my parents had the cheek to suddenly recall the alleged treasure chest, but by then my husband and I had decided to buy a flat ourselves. We realised relying on my parents support was about as sensible as planning your picnic based on the British weather forecast.