MY ENTITLED GRANDSON

I was interested to read the article about entitled children (YOU, 21 September), because I have the wrong king in my castle. Three years ago I took over caring for my daughter’s son (age 18) when she and her husband ran into financial difficulties.

He has now been with me for nearly four years and it’s an ongoing nightmare. My grandson is so polite to everyone, but treats me with total disrespect. He’s now 21 and he refuses to help around the home or does so only with bad grace.

I’m putting him though college at my expense. I pay all his other expenses – clothes, food, transport and so forth – with zero appreciation. I get no parental financial support.

He expects me to be ready when we need to go somewhere but will never be ready when I need to go somewhere. I’ve repeatedly asked him to find part-time work, if just to help with his clothing, and he flatly refuses. Not for him the rat race!

I’ve tried refusing to buy what he needs but he’d rather go barefoot to college than try to earn money for shoes. Every- body would then feel sorry for such a “sweet boy” with his miserable “mean” grandmother.

The stress of this relationship is breaking me down, but I can’t send him back to Mommy. They’ve moved away and her husband doesn’t want him.

I can’t stop his college yet or all the money it has cost so far will be wasted.

So I agree with the article: don’t entitle your child or he’ll grow into a monster and you’ll be the loser in the end. DISRESPECTED GRAN, EMAIL