Sometimes, the people you love most treat you like an ATM, offering affection only in exchange for money. This woman had enough of it. When her son and daughter-in-law gave her a humiliating gift, she decided it was time to turn the tables and teach them a lesson they wouldn’t forget.
“Hi Bright Side,
I’m 75, my husband is 79. We just celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary this year. I’ll try to keep this short, but there’s some backstory.
For over 15 years, we’ve been helping our son and his wife financially. Not just here and there, we’ve covered big things. We helped them with down payments, cars, childcare, even paying off some of their debts.
We never asked for anything in return, never pressured them, we just wanted to see them do well. But it was always taken for granted. Never a real ‘thank you,’ never any thoughtfulness back. Honestly, sometimes I felt more like their ATM than a parent.
Anyway, at our 50th anniversary party, we had friends and family over. My son and DIL showed up with this giant box, and I thought, ‘Wow, maybe they finally went out of their way to do something nice for us.’ Everyone was excited, and we opened it right there in front of the guests.”
“To my horror, the box was filled with their old, worn-out clothes. I’m talking clearly used, her dresses, his shirts, just stuff they cleaned out of their closet. I was stunned. Our guests went silent. I felt humiliated, like this was some cruel joke.
Later, when things calmed down, I asked my son to come by. I sat him down and very gently said, ‘Do you really think your father and I don’t deserve a decent present? What did we do to deserve something like this?’
He just looked at me and said, ‘Mom, the present isn’t important, the attention is, isn’t it?’ That cut deep, but I swallowed it and moved on.
Two months later, it was my son’s birthday, and my husband and I were invited. We brought an envelope. I could see my DIL’s eyes light up. She clearly thought it was cash, as usual.
But when they opened it, it was copies of the new will. We’d changed everything: instead of leaving them our estate, it’s all going to an animal shelter. They were furious.
And before walking out, I repeated my son’s own words back to him, ‘Dear, the present is not important, the attention is. Isn’t it?’
Now my son and DIL are angry and the rest of the family is divided. Some say we’re justified after years of being used, others say we were too harsh and should’ve just accepted their ‘gift’ and moved on.
So, people, am I wrong for cutting my son and his wife out of our will after what they did?”
No good deed goes unpunished. You have spent thousands of dollars over the years to help them and bail them out financially and they took it for granted. The animals at the shelter will at least be grateful. In your will maybe leave them a nominal $10.00 so they can't contest it saying you left them out by mistake. You owe them nothing. The stunt they pulled at your anniversary celebration was an insult and they should be ashamed.
I have basically done the same thing. It's never an easy decision to make. The thing is you can only take so much, you know? My dil made the mistake of saying if you don't do what I want, you can't be around your granddaughter. THAT was the last straw. That was 16 years ago. My son called 2 years ago, to let me know that he was still here, (there) and wanted to be sure i had him in my will.
Bottom line, it's a take, take, take situation. Needless to say, he has zero in my will. I reeeeally don't care who says what. They did not live through it all. It's called:
It is what it is. Period
I would have shoved their "gift" up their ass! But writing them out of the will works too! Make sure it's iron clad so they can't contest it. Anyone else in the family thinks your wrong tell them they are free to leave their stuff to the greedy gold digging POS's!!!
What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Don't change your will. Leave it all to the animal shelter. If your ungrateful son and his ungrateful wife want to be cruel let them suffer the consequences. Perhaps one day they'll get a dose of their own medicine when their children turn around and do the same to them. No one leaves a better example than their parents.
Was your son this ignorant before he married that thing? A private card saying how grateful they were for ALL YOU HAVE DONE, is the very least that they should have done. What they did was beyond cruel and anyone that said you went too far or were too harsh can certainly take over the financial bottomless pit your son and Dil are. I don't know why, but it still amazes me when people with no skin in the game try to tell you what to do with regards to how you respond to being treated like trash. That includes all of us weighing in on the subject. Stay strong you are worth more than you know.
Bright Side readers were moved by Sophia’s confession, many people rushed to express their thoughts on this dramatic situation. Here are some of the top comments we received from our community:
Look at it this way (and explain it this way to your son): he got his inheritance in advance.
And make sure your Will intentionally leaves him nothing, with that explanation in it.
I don't owe my child anything except love and respect, and he owes me the same. Nothing more. Your son and DIL were beyond disrespectful and changing your will(s) was the right thing to do. The animals will be so much more grateful for the help.
Dear Sophia,
Sometimes the sharpest gift you can give is silence, because it forces others to hear their own echo. Instead of chasing gratitude, start investing your energy where it multiplies, not where it evaporates. People value scarcity, so make your care scarce.
Next time your son expects money, surprise him with a recipe card or a childhood photo instead. It will confuse him, maybe even annoy him, but it will also remind him you’re more than his wallet. And confusion, unlike cash, can actually plant a seed of change.
And here’s one more real-life story from our reader, who experienced a true inheritance battle in her life. This woman’s family decided she didn’t deserve a cent, all because she chose a life without children. But instead of arguing, the woman quietly planned her revenge. What she did next left everyone speechless.
Read on to find out how our reader taught her family a lesson they’ll never forget.
For your son to try to make it seem like giving you a box of literal trash, with the whole it's the thought that counts baloney... It would have required them to actually put thought into it. It would be one thing if they were only able to provide you with a small, inexpensive but sentimental present. But they gave you garbage, so where is the effort and attention that he claimed went into it?
