Plenty of parents are hopeful that their kids will eventually provide them with grandchildren. It’s only natural to want to see your family expand into even more generations, and carry on with traditions and joy.
However, one couple in India is taking this wish to the extreme by suing their son and his wife for not having kids, saying the lack of grandchildren constitutes “mental cruelty.”
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The terms are clear: have a kid or pay up.
The older couple, 61-year-old Sanjeev Prasad and 57-year-old Sadhana, are suing their son, Shrey Sagar and his wife, Shubhangi Sinha. If the younger couple doesn’t have a kid within a year, the older couple is demanding they pay $650,000.
They want $650,000 because that’s what they spent on their son.
While raising a kid for 18 years — and often longer — is no doubt expensive, suing that kid in court for the money is certainly a bold gambit.
The older couple sees the parent-son relationship as transactional.
“I have only one son. I spent all my savings on his upbringing and education. He returned to India in 2007 due to the economic recession abroad,” Sanjeev Prasad said . “He had lost his job and could not find another for over two years. I supported him financially during this period as well.”
The younger couple is accused of “immense mental harassment.”
After arranging a marriage between their son and Shubhangi, the older couple expected a grandchild. But after six years of marriage, they haven’t had a kid. According to the older couple, this constitutes “immense mental harassment.”
“We finally got him married in 2016 with the hope that we would get us a grandchild to play with in our retirement age,” Prasad said. “However, almost six years have passed and there is no grandchild. We are facing immense mental harassment.”
The older couple’s lawyer says parents invest in their kids, and kids should invest back in their parents.
“We invest in our children, make them capable of working in good firms,” said the lawyer, AK Srivastava. “Children owe their parents basic financial care.”
They’ll see each other in court on May 17.
The case almost doesn’t seem real, but the Prasads’ court petition will take place next week. From there, we’ll see if the lawsuit has legs or if it’s denied by a judge.
It’s an extreme case.
Parents often put pressure, both subtle and overt, on their kids to have kids of their own. This is so common that it’s essentially a trope. But parents suing their kids? That puts things on another level.
Have your parents pressured you to have kids?
If so, we’re guessing they haven’t slapped you with a $650,000 lawsuit. Still, we want to hear your stories. Share your experiences, and let us know what you think of this story, in the comments.
h/t: Times of India and BBC
