His College Dropout Sister Thinks He’s Selfish For Refusing To Help Financially Support Her

aspenphoto - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
aspenphoto - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual person

Many parents or caretakers will tell their older kids that they will only agree to financially support them if they’re in the process of getting an education. If they’re not, they’re on their own. 

One young man was recently asked by his little sister if he could send her some money while she tries to figure out her life after dropping out of college. However, he decided to say no.

He’s 25-years-old and has a 22-year-old sister. They’ve been very close in the past, but recently, things haven’t been the same once finances got in the way.

When he was in college, his parents financially supported him by paying for some of his tuition while working part-time to support himself. Now, he’s three years post-grad and working with a stable income.

When his little sister went to college two years ago, their parents were also prepared to support her. But after a year, she decided to drop out.

“She said she felt that the traditional education system wasn’t for her and wanted to explore other interests,” he explained.

“My parents were disappointed but respected her decision. However, they told her she would need to find a job and support herself, as they had already stretched their finances thin, helping both of us through college.

Fast forward to now: my sister has struggled to find stable employment and is living with our parents rent-free. She’s been bouncing between part-time jobs and side gigs, but nothing has stuck.”

Recently, his little sister approached him and asked if he’d give her some money so she could get back on her feet and continue exploring her interests.

aspenphoto – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person

After reflecting on the situation, he decided to tell her no.

“It’s not that I don’t want to help her, but I feel like she made a choice to drop out and should have considered the financial implications,” he said.

“I worked hard to get through college and am still paying off my loans. I also have my own expenses and future plans, like saving for a house and building an emergency fund.”

“I explained this to her, but she got really upset and accused me of being selfish and unsupportive.”

While his parents don’t necessarily want him to have to give his sister money, they feel caught in the middle of this argument, and there’s a lot of tension within their family.

Now, he’s starting to feel guilty about saying no, especially because he doesn’t feel as close to his sister anymore.

Should he consider giving his sister some money to repair their relationship or stand his ground?

You can read the original post on Reddit here.

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