My Daughter Has a Lazy Boyfriend Who Lives in Her Flat and Refuses to Pay the Bills

My husband and I are a respectable, ordinary family. This is our first marriage, and weve been living together for 25 years now. Weve never argued in front of our daughteralways showing each other love and respect. Overall, we have a happy marriage. I always hoped that, seeing our example, our daughter would follow in our footsteps and successfully build her own family. After all, they say children are a reflection of their parents.

But heres where things get tricky. Our daughter isnt married yet, though she does have a boyfriend. Two years ago, my mother passed away and left behind her flat in Manchester. My husband and I decided we would give the flat to our daughter. Now shes told us that shes living there with her boyfriend.

We dont mind that she has her own personal life. What truly bothers us is her choice of boyfriendhes simply dreadful. He doesnt lift a finger around the place; he wont even take care of basic odd jobs. If a tap starts leaking or a bulb needs changing, our daughter immediately calls her father. Weve asked her repeatedly why her boyfriend wont help out, but she just shrugs and stays quiet. She keeps saying that soon hell step up and start helping.

To make matters worse, weve recently found out that hes unemployed. That means he isnt bringing in any money, and our daughter is shouldering the whole burden alone. Shes juggling two jobs just to keep them both afloat. I honestly dont think he truly cares about her.

I told her, gently, that shes making a mistake. But she doesnt want to hear it. She believes hell change and theyll be fine. She loves him. And I love my daughter, so it pains me deeply to see her in this situation.