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"I've been bought off by my parents," a young man announced via Reddit recently. The poster, who goes by the name optimalcontrol, claims his parents offered him $250,000 to never contact him again. Why would his parents do that?
We only have the young man's side of the story, which has since been removed from Reddit (but the "bought off by my parents" story was reposted on The Inquisitor). He says his parents had always compared him unfavorably to his high-achieving brother, who was killed in an accident three years ago.
After finishing his college degree in economics he moved back in with his parents while searching for a job. But he couldn't take his parents' "abuse" any longer and "started talking back and standing up for [himself]." This, he implies, is why his parents told him he has a month to move out.
So there you go. Parents are giving their son a $250,000 nest egg to help him launch his adult life. BUT -- the catch is that they're cutting him off from all contact. Whoa! What's the real story here?
Like I said, we only have the son's side of the story. But can you imagine ever telling one of your kids you never want to hear from then again?!?
We all know people who have intense conflicts with their adult children. It's stressful for both sides. You would have to be in a lot of pain to cut off contact from your child, right? I can't imagine being cold-hearted enough to do that just because I'm disappointed in someone's achievements and because we argue too much. I can see demanding that he move out of the house. (Too much conflict under one roof!) But to cut off your child completely means you have no hope of ever reconciling.
That's a pretty dark turn.
You have to wonder what kind of a mom would do this to her child. But then, you also have to wonder what else is going on. My first thought was that the son may have a drug addiction, and he's conveniently left that detail out of his story. That's one of the problems that leads parents to this extreme measure. Maybe the parents aren't as awful as they sound?
And could there ever be a justifiable reason to cut off contact with your own offspring? I think maybe, if he's abusive or threatening your life. If he's just a jerk, though, probably not.
I think it's also interesting to note that the young man posted his query in the "personal finance" section of Reddit. He was asking for advice on how to invest the money. Not asking what to do about his relationship with his parents, or whether or not he should accept the money at all.
So what do you think? What kind of parents do this? Would this drastic measure ever be justifiable?
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