We all have to live with the choices we make in life. Some decisions turn out great, while others can negatively impact us for many years, especially those we care about the most. This story portrays that perfectly, detailing how one mother’s bad decisions led to a world of trouble for herself and her daughter.
In this particular case, a mother stole her daughter’s inheritance, a choice that would come back to haunt her in a big way. The daughter, determined to set the record straight, shared her story in a heartfelt post.
When the daughter was 16, her grandma passed away. Her grandma was a hardworking, no-nonsense woman who owned an upholstery business for 50 years and had five children. The daughter’s mother, the middle child, often clashed with the grandma, primarily due to her sense of entitlement.
Grandma decided to create a will that distributed her assets in a way she felt would benefit each child and grandchild the most. The daughter was allocated an education trust, knowing she aspired to attend college. Her brother received a delivery van from the grandma’s business, and the mother got some heirloom jewelry.
The mother was furious, claiming that the education trust (about $30,000) was unfairly more valuable than the van and jewelry. The daughter explained that it was not her decision but rather her grandma’s choice to allocate the assets as she saw fit.
By her second semester of freshman year in college, the daughter expected the trust to support her through undergrad and onto grad school. She discovered that her mother had drained the trust, withdrawing funds on the pretense of education expenses. As a college professor, the mother had encouraged the daughter to take courses, using predicated bills (before applying faculty discounts and scholarships) to justify her withdrawals.
The mother had spent the inheritance on a plot of land to build her dream house, believing it somehow benefited the entire family. With no money to pursue legal action, the daughter felt devastated and distanced herself from her mother.
Five years later, at Christmas, the mother proudly showcased her overvalued dream house, but her financial world soon crumbled. She had neglected to pay property and income taxes on the money taken from the account. Confronted with over $100,000 in back taxes and penalties, she tried to blame others, including the bank and anyone but herself. Her high-value property was reassessed at significantly lower value during a housing market crash, forcing her to sell the house at a fraction of its worth.
The money from the sale didn’t cover her owed taxes and construction loan. She ended up declaring bankruptcy, moving to an apartment, and spending years paying off debts. Now retired with no savings, she remains lonely and bitter, still refusing to acknowledge her own role in the downfall.
Meanwhile, the daughter completed her education, obtained a good job, and owns a house where she responsibly pays taxes. Although she’s not happy about her mother taking her inheritance, she finds solace in knowing her mother faced severe consequences for her actions. The daughter continues to limit contact, answering occasional calls but still withholding forgiveness.