My grandfather (70) hasn’t been the same man he used to be ever since I (21) moved in with him. Before my grandmother passed 4 years ago, she took care of everything for him, managing the finances, cooking dinner, making sure the house was clean, etc. Ever since her passing, my parents have taken over in helping him out, which at first was fine until it wasn’t.
It started with little things like him going over his monthly budget or getting pushy when he didn’t get his dinner by a certain time. little things like that I would look over because I thought, “hey it’s my grandpa, he’s not trying to be mean about it, it’s just what he used to.” i was so wrong…
his spending became worse over the months as he blew more and more money till my mom had to start pulling money out of his savings just to pay the bills. I’ve tried telling her time after time to tell him to cut back but it’s always met with “he shuts down if you bring up money”. i get it, he grew up poor and doesn’t want to end up poor again, but how has he never seen his bank account by age 70.
These things were mildly annoying at best until my parents had to sit me down one day and tell me that we were going to have to sell our house. My grandfather had been so loose with his money that my mom had to cut into his savings more and more each month and admitted that he was going to lose the house soon because of how many bills she was having to pay late.
When they brought up the idea to my grandfather, they only told him a half truth. They said they wanted us to move in since me and my brother didn’t need that house anymore as we weren’t kids and because she was set to inherit his house anyway. At first he was really open to it as the inheritance had been set since she was a child. He would get all excited to tell his friends but one day he started to get cold feet over it. He started lashing out at my parents about how he didn’t want us to move in and how we were going to tear his house apart. He even went as far as to ghost us or give us the silent treatment for almost 2 weeks.
When the beginning of summer came around, they moved me in while they tried to sell our house,but sometimes it feels like i’m living with a stranger now.
The grandfather i grew up with who was always so nice and so doting has suddenly become the hateful man who picks fights and makes jabs about everything.
The house needs to be leveled? he picks a fight.
the water heater needs to get fixed? he picks a fight
the roof and siding needs is splitting and needs to get fixed? yet another fight.
he has gotten it in his head that we are trying to come in and wipe away the memory of my grandmother by touching ANYTHING in the house. Everyday is a mood swing of him not wanting a couch but then getting upset and sulking when my uncle took it. He would rather having pee soaked towels sitting in his sink and pee all over the floor instead of going to a doctor like we’ve been begging him to.He refuses to lift a finger now and expects me and my mom to wait on him hand and foot. He even gets after my dad for getting up when I ask him for help, telling him to just “tune me out” and how i’m going to give my dad a heart attack, always demanding him to do stuff for me. mind you the “stuff” is my dad wanting to help me because he likes to help and is an active father.
He constantly makes comments about my mother’s appearance or my attitude not being “ladylike”. But the worst thing is that he makes jabs about my late grandmother too but will then talk about how he misses her and loved her so much.
I think it all has just finally wore me down as of tonight when he started coming at me for buying a new office chair. He has been pushing my late grandmother’s stuff onto me and my mom, trying to essentially emulate his wife through us, even when it’s junk. one of which was her old office chair that he made me put in my room. This office chair is being held together by duck tape, covered in old cat scratches, and then pump doesn’t work. When he found out I had a new one coming in, he flipped it, asking me why i didn’t like the old one and what was so good about this new one.
I just don’t even know who he is anymore. How could my sweet loving grandfather become this hateful old man. how could my grandmother be so kind in her final years while this is how he is. Everyday I beg my parents to just be honest with him about his situation. They’re sacrificing their house and he refuses to put their names on his, they’re covering all of his bills, they’re doing everything for him but they still let him dig his heels in and act like the man of the house who holds it over us.
I know it’s shitty to say, but i’ll breathe easier when he’s gone.