For the last decade, this 28-year-old woman has been financially independent. She worked her heart out as she attended college, picking up extra jobs, and budgeting like crazy in order to have money to set aside and save.
She grew up, well, pretty poor, and she watched as her own mom and dad had a hard time with money. Witnessing how financially insecure they were deeply impacted her, and she promised herself she would not end up like that.
Well, her little sister recently informed their parents that she saved up a ton of money. As soon as her parents heard the news, they instantly tried to get their hands on her cash.
“Suddenly, they started making comments about how family should support each other and how they sacrificed so much to raise me,” she explained.
“Then they got more direct asking for money to pay off their debts and help with their mortgage. I love my parents, but they’ve never been great with money. They’ve always lived paycheck to paycheck, spending beyond their means and making impulsive financial decisions.”
“They’ve taken out loans they couldn’t afford, co-signed for family members who never paid them back, and spent money on luxuries while struggling to cover basics. I knew that if I gave them anything, it wouldn’t be a one-time thing it would open the door to them relying on me permanently.”
She refused and pointed out that she had to work exceptionally hard to have a savings account, and she wasn’t in a financial position herself to hand out money.
Her dad got mad at her, insisting she had enough cash to go around. Her mom began sobbing while saying she was turning her back on them.
Her parents then said if she wasn’t going to give them a dime, she could let them have a loan. The problem here is they will never pay her back. She continued to decline to give them cash, and then the name-calling started.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
“They started calling me selfish and ungrateful, reminding me of everything they did for me growing up. My sister has taken their side, saying I have more than enough and should help the people who raised me,” she said.
“Even extended family has chimed in, acting like I’m hoarding wealth while my parents struggle. But no one seems to acknowledge that I got here by being responsible while they made bad choices.”
“Now, I feel stuck. I don’t want to ruin my relationship with my family, but I also don’t want to be treated like a walking bank account. Am I really the bad guy for wanting to keep what I worked so hard for? Or did I just finally see the truth that to my family, my value is only measured by what I can provide?”
You can read the original post below.
