My uncle (my mom’s brother) died last year. He left money for his kids, and his siblings’ kids, but none for his siblings. My mom is freaking out about it and even went so far as to ask my brother and I to give her some of it. She doesn’t need the money, so I think she is just jealous that we got something from her brother and she didn’t. What would you do? Would you give her some of the inheritance?
I would buy a super nice car and some flashy sunglasses. Get piles of flashy jewelry and wear all of it at the same time. Pull into her driveway, honk the horn until she comes out, and say, “Hey, Mom, I decided to give you some of my money!” Then chuck a quarter at her, peel out, and drive off into the sunset.
People feel entitled to shit that’s not theirs all the time. For whatever reason, your uncle specifically wanted his children, nieces, and nephews to have his money. Not your mother. So if she asks you again, say, “Hey, mom, if you need the money, I’d gladly loan you some, but I wouldn’t feel right disrespecting Uncle Al’s wishes. He wanted us to have the money, so I wouldn’t feel good about giving it to you.”
Unless there’s a good, solid, logical reason for it (like sudden missing limbs or a house fire or a kidnapping that requires a large ransom), parents who ask their kids for money freak me out. Your mom shouldn’t have asked. And you shouldn’t feel guilty for saying no. If you want, you could buy her an extra-nice birthday gift, but that’s about it.
