“Do Russians serve their parents all their lives?”: a British woman came to the outback and received an answer that turned her idea of the family

She met 52-year-old Andrey, who regularly visited his 80-year-old mother, brought groceries, bought medicines and helped with the household, writes Zen channel “Talk about education”.

- Why are you spending your weekend fixing her fence? Why can't she hire a worker? When do you start living for yourself? asked Lucy.

Andrey replied that he helped his mother not out of duty, but because he wanted to. Later, the British met Valentina Petrovna. The elderly woman explained that she does not require her son to give up his own life. If he's busy, they just negotiate another day.

Lucy expected to see an addictive relationship in which parents do not let adult children go. However, it turned out that Andrew is quite independent and at the same time considers the help of his mother a natural part of his life.

She was even more surprised by the conversation in the district clinic, where a man accompanied his elderly wife to an appointment with a doctor. He admitted that he sometimes gets tired, but does not consider caring for a loved one something unusual.

Before leaving, Lucy thought about her relationship with her mother, who lived in another city. They called and met on holidays, but have not spent time together without haste.

A few weeks later, a British woman sent a photo with her mother. They spent the weekend talking, cooking dinner and looking at old family pictures.

Lucy admitted that she used to confuse independence with distance between relatives. Now she understood that you can build your own life and still stay close to loved ones.

History does not prove that all families should live the same way. But she reminded the Briton: caring for parents does not necessarily mean giving up on yourself, and sometimes it is the usual family moments that are the most important.