Dear Tazi:
I was reading your letter about the man who was taking advantage of his mother’s generosity and it reminded me of my brother (who also liked to hang around the house naked). He is well into his forties and has spent his entire life chronically unemployed. He has had more jobs than he has had years of life, no exaggeration. Because of this, he has never had money to support himself and has never moved out of our parents’ house.
All of my life I have worked hard to support myself, so I resented the fact that my brother was sponging off of my parents. They were not rich, but were comfortable – they owned their own home (mortgage free); had money in the bank; and their investments were doing well. Whenever I brought up the topic of “Steve” to Mom and Dad, they told me not to worry; that the issue was between them and Steve, not me.
Last year, Steve and I lost Mom and Dad. Mom had cancer and went first; Dad had a heart condition, and losing Mom did not help it. He passed away less than six months later. At the reading of Dad’s will, I finally understood what Mom and Dad meant when they told me the issue of Steve was between them and Steve: they had kept track of every expense they covered for him, from car payments and insurance to the room and board he never paid. This information was kept on record with their accountant, and the total amount subtracted from Steve’s half of our inheritance. All Steve got was a 50% interest in our parent’s house; I ended up with their savings and investments, as well as my half of the interest in their house. Steve was livid, but Dad’s will was airtight – there was no way for Steve to fight it.
I am not asking for advice, but wanted to share my story with others so they may see the other side of the story. If it appears that Mom and Dad are favoring one sibling over another, don’t get all worked up over it. There might be a lot more to things that you do not know!
Signed,
Over It
Dear Over It:
I do hope that your parents at least hinted to your brother that the financial assistance he was receiving while they lived would be taken from his inheritance; otherwise, this must have come as a horrible shock to him. I do hope that Steve matures, now that his primary source of income has dried up; but I will not hold my breath waiting for this to happen. I will let your story serve as the “other side” you wish to present.
Snuggles,
Tazi
Ask Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with a Bachelors of Arts in Communications. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline.
I was reading your letter about the man who was taking advantage of his mother’s generosity and it reminded me of my brother (who also liked to hang around the house naked). He is well into his forties and has spent his entire life chronically unemployed. He has had more jobs than he has had years of life, no exaggeration. Because of this, he has never had money to support himself and has never moved out of our parents’ house.
All of my life I have worked hard to support myself, so I resented the fact that my brother was sponging off of my parents. They were not rich, but were comfortable – they owned their own home (mortgage free); had money in the bank; and their investments were doing well. Whenever I brought up the topic of “Steve” to Mom and Dad, they told me not to worry; that the issue was between them and Steve, not me.
Last year, Steve and I lost Mom and Dad. Mom had cancer and went first; Dad had a heart condition, and losing Mom did not help it. He passed away less than six months later. At the reading of Dad’s will, I finally understood what Mom and Dad meant when they told me the issue of Steve was between them and Steve: they had kept track of every expense they covered for him, from car payments and insurance to the room and board he never paid. This information was kept on record with their accountant, and the total amount subtracted from Steve’s half of our inheritance. All Steve got was a 50% interest in our parent’s house; I ended up with their savings and investments, as well as my half of the interest in their house. Steve was livid, but Dad’s will was airtight – there was no way for Steve to fight it.
I am not asking for advice, but wanted to share my story with others so they may see the other side of the story. If it appears that Mom and Dad are favoring one sibling over another, don’t get all worked up over it. There might be a lot more to things that you do not know!
Signed,
Over It
Dear Over It:
I do hope that your parents at least hinted to your brother that the financial assistance he was receiving while they lived would be taken from his inheritance; otherwise, this must have come as a horrible shock to him. I do hope that Steve matures, now that his primary source of income has dried up; but I will not hold my breath waiting for this to happen. I will let your story serve as the “other side” you wish to present.
Snuggles,
Tazi
Ask Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with a Bachelors of Arts in Communications. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline.
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