Decision of old age in the afternoon
For more than 4 years, the family of Mrs. Dinh Thi Mo (Tan Phu, Ho Chi Minh City) has lived together for three generations in one house. Every day, she and her husband take their children to school and participate in extracurricular activities. In their free time, the couple will take care of the green vegetable garden on the balcony, taking care of the flowers in front of the house.
Compared to the days of living in Cu M'gar (Dak Lak), the lives of Ms. Dinh Thi Mo and Mr. Le Van have changed a lot.
In the late afternoon in the most vibrant and modern city in Vietnam, the two still have not really adapted to the lifestyle here. But they still find joy in life, feel the warm and happy family atmosphere.
Before that, for more than half of their lives, Mrs. Mo and Mr. Van had been attached to the sunny and windy land of Dak Lak. The couple, both working as high school teachers in Quang Phu town, Cu M'gar district, built a small house, a two-story house filled with orchids and a cool green vegetable garden.
In 2021, after retiring, Mrs. Dinh Thi Mo and her husband decided to sell their house in Dak Lak. The pensioner packed up and went to Ho Chi Minh City to buy a new house, welcomed her son and children to live together. Since then, three generations in the same family have lived together.
Sharing about her choice, Ms. Dinh Thi Mo said: "My son is an IT engineer of a foreign company, and has to work regularly. The daughter-in-law is busy with her work as a high school teacher, so she does not have much time to take care of her family and send her children to school.
With the viewpoint of "wherever the children and grandchildren are, the grandparents are there", after retirement, the couple sold their house in Dak Lak and moved to Ho Chi Minh City to buy a new house to live with their children.
This decision was in the plan in advance. When the time was right, the family immediately started implementing it. They also want to be close and accompany them on their journey to adulthood".
Three generations in a family
Although she has a spacious house in Ho Chi Minh City to spend with her children and grandchildren, Mrs. Mo still has that memory of the land that has been attached to for many years. Therefore, she and her husband decided to build a small house in Cu M'gar, Dak Lak to return for holidays and Tet.
"The advantage is that we built an additional house in Dak Lak next to the bricklayer's house, the biological parents of the daughter-in-law. The grandparents and children in Ho Chi Minh City have not returned to their hometown for a long time, but the flowers in the garden are still cared for by the family. Who knows, in a few years when the children are older, their grandparents will return to Dak Lak to live".
But that is the story of the future. At present, Mrs. Mo and all family members are satisfied with their cozy life together. In the past 4 years, three generations have lived happily and peacefully, without noisy stories, and have never experienced the "mother-in-law - bride" situation as many people have encountered.
Living with her parents-in-law, Ms. Nguyen Thuy Linh said: "Three generations live together, so there are many changes, from living habits to lifestyle, eating style. Each different generation will have a different way of thinking, we are children who must know how to balance and share. The good and the bad things are something we accept, but the things that are not in our interest are discussed to find a reasonable solution.
Currently, the members are still living happily, everyone bops their personal ego to have a common voice. When there are grandparents living together, I teach my children how to love, care for and be affectionate. Sometimes there are also conflicts and disagreements, but over time, people will understand and agree with each other.
Of course, everyone needs their own space, their own joy such as traveling, drinking coffee... I am lucky that my parents-in-law understand and share. For me, living with my grandparents is very good and I cherish these moments".
