A young woman recently vented on Reddit’s Entitled Parents, feeling her mom ruined her childhood.
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The woman told readers that she and her mom immigrated to the US in 97 and met a man who became her stepdad via an international dating service. The woman stressed that her life in America was not overly challenging. She said times were tough, and she and her sister got told “no” a lot.
She stresses that she had access to food and they were well closed but could not afford big names like Nike. When the woman asked for things she did not know were expensive, she was told she was greedy and ungrateful.
Mom Said Asking For Things Was Wrong
The woman spoke emotionally about how her mom had drilled into her that she was wrong for asking for things and that she should appreciate everything she has as people back home have it so hard.
The poster made a point of saying that she did not get an opportunity to learn Spanish until last year as her mom was worried that if she did not speak English exclusively then she would not be able to start school. She also stressed that her mom and stepdad have separate bank accounts, as her stepdad says his money is his and her money is hers.
This was all-important contact for what the poster was about to reveal. These two facts were significant in her not being able to return to her home country for a visit as her mom said she could not afford it and could not speak Spanish anyway.
The Woman Eventually Became Fluent In Spanish To Surprise Her Mom, But She Was The One Who Got The Surprise
The woman enjoyed learning Spanish, became fluent, and wanted to surprise her mom. She practiced her skills with her family back home, and in one conversation, it was revealed that her mom wires $800 to them every month.
When the woman quizzed her cousin if something was wrong with her mom to be sending money, it was revealed that she had been sending money since 1999.
When the woman challenged her mom about this, she told her it was for her Grandma’s medicine.
The Woman Called Out Her Mom’s Guilt
Not believing that all of the money was for her Grandma’s medicine, the poster told her mum that she feels guilty for living in the US while her family cannot.
She said that the family probably spent money on things she was told she was too greedy to ask for when she was younger.
She knows this as her cousins speak of wearing brands she only dreamt of wearing. The poster also told of her family booking trips to different counties on her mom’s “dime.” All of this is when the poster missed school trips and had to get a job to buy her clothes.
The Mom Sent Over 170k To Her Family
The poster worked out that over the years her mom had sent over 170k to her family, which could have helped her and her sister through college instead of them getting loans.
She finally asked her mom, “Is the reason you never bought me and my sister tickets to visit? Because you didn’t want us to see the truth.” Her mum replied, “I brought you to America. You had it better than all of them. You’re just ungrateful.”.
The woman insists that it is not about money and clothes but the feeling of being betrayed by her mom when times are tough for them all. She finishes by saying, “I feel like my childhood was taken away from me because I wanted all the things a normal kid asked for”
People on Reddit responded with words of empathy, with one person saying, “I will never understand people who put their extended family before their children.” Another said, “I brought you to America so you could have a better life” *Proceeds to send better life back home*.”
Many Reddit Users could relate, with one user saying, “Hey man, what you’re feeling is completely justified. My mom was an immigrant too, and it’s hard to move away from the ‘it’s too expensive, you’re too greedy’ mentality of it”.
While it is unclear what happened after all of this, one person had this advice “Nah, they should just tell her to go live with the family she’s been bankrolling for over two decades.”
