Throughout this woman’s entire life, her parents have always been very upfront regarding their perspective on their money. More specifically, her parents believe that they can do whatever they please with their savings.
“They will not help their children if they financially struggle, and if there is nothing left for us in the will when they pass, well, tough,” she explained.
However, now that her parents are getting older, they’ve begun talking about what they hope to happen once they start requiring physical help and care. Her parents have also made one thing crystal clear: they don’t want any strangers caring for them.
Rather, her parents would prefer that either she or her siblings step up and take on a caregiver role. That way, they can remain comfortable and live in their own home.
“They’ve also said that whichever one of us chooses to do this will get the lion’s share of the will,” she recalled.
Now, upon learning her parents’ plan, the offer was pretty tempting. She realizes that her siblings already make a lot more money than she does. So, getting a larger piece of their inheritance would allow her to be secure and comfortable once she gets older.
Not to mention, she has been working as a Certified Nurses Assistant (CNA) for over 10 years. That’s why she believes she’d be much more “okay” caring for her parents in ways that her siblings just aren’t used to.
“Which is probably also why I’m the only one my parents actually mentioned this ‘deal’ to,” she said.
Once she gave the idea some more thought, though, she realized that caring for her parents might not actually be “worth it.” She’s worried that she’ll just end up providing round-the-clock care for years in exchange for a small amount of upfront pay.
“Only to be told that I get most of nothing because my parents spent it all before they died. My parents aren’t outrageously wealthy or anything,” she detailed.
Still, her parents have broached the topic again more recently, so she tried to point out how she has children. So, she’ll probably still be working full-time once her parents reach the point of needing physical care.
After she said that, her parents apparently tried to hide their reaction. But, to her, it was clear that they were really annoyed with her.
“And they kept trying to argue that, financially, I would be making a mistake, but I’m just not sure that I trust them really,” she vented.
That’s why she’s now been left wondering if refusing to look after her parents in their old age is really the right decision or not.
Can you understand why the lack of upfront pay is concerning to her? Is it realistic for her to be on-call for her parents all the time if she already has her own kids? What would you do in her shoes?
You can read the original post on Reddit here.
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By Katharina Buczek
Katharina Buczek graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Digital Arts. Specializing in... More about Katharina Buczek
