U50 child helplessly watches retired mother still diligently work
At the age of U50, with a stable job and income, but Mr. Tan (44 years old) often argues with his mother, just because he wants her to be more relaxed after retirement. Contrary to that wish, Mrs. Bich (70 years old - Mr. Tan's mother) still regularly wakes up early in the morning to work.
According to Mr. Tan, Ms. Bich works as an accountant for a unit and has quit her job, receiving a pension 15 years ago. But instead of resting to relax, she still accepts part-time accounting jobs, other jobs related to accounting to earn extra income. Therefore, during peak periods, Ms. Bich is constantly busy like when she was working.
My mother said she didn't feel sad when she stayed, but if she could do it, she would just do it and wouldn't rest. Even though I have a stable job, my mother also has a monthly pension, has income from a 500m2 flat in Vung Tau that is being rented out... but after all the advice, she still doesn't listen," Mr. Tan shared.
On days without work, instead of relaxing, she works hard in the garden, from picking leaves, mowing grass, to sweeping the yard, watering vegetables. She even splits firewood to cook water, cook food for the dogs she is raising. Looking at his mother's hardship, Mr. Tan cannot help but feel sorry but... cannot stop her.
Many times I told my mother to quit because it wasn't too necessary, or I looked for someone to do it, but my mother insisted on not agreeing. Sometimes my mother and I even became tense with each other, because I felt sorry for my mother who was old and easily tired, but I couldn't stop her," Mr. Tan said.
Retirement does not mean resignation
In a similar situation, Mr. Quan (44 years old) said that he is sometimes upset because his mother is still struggling to pursue her job even though she is 74 years old, but cannot stop her.
Many times due to the nature of the work, she drove her motorbike dozens of kilometers to solve it. Knowing this, I was immediately shocked because this was too dangerous," Mr. Quan said.
According to Mr. Quan, the family is not too dependent, even quite wealthy; both his father and mother also have monthly pensions of up to tens of millions of VND; but the difficult thing is that his mother does not want to stop. She believes that retirement does not mean resigning, and through working, she has additional income to take care of her grandchildren.
The situation like Mr. Tan and Mr. Quan's family is not uncommon in today's society. For many people, life after retirement is not simply about resting or income, but also a habit of many years of working, communication needs, financial self-reliance and feeling that they are still useful.
However, this puts the children in a difficult situation, wanting their parents to rest and relax but not being able to. Although economic conditions are sufficient to meet living needs, they cannot replace the labor needs of parents.
Therefore, Mr. Tan and Mr. Quan are forced to respect their parents' choices. Instead of arguing, they choose to partially support the work so that their parents are less busy. For example, working part-time when they are free, or taking advantage of working as drivers when their mother wants to go far away...
Perhaps, working is also a way for parents to relax, as long as it does not affect their health and parents are happy, children should also respect it," Mr. Tan commented.
