The Bert Show: She’s Jealous Her Parents Are Always Bailing Out Her Sister…Now It’s Her Turn

For years, she’s been the “good” kid – did everything right, never needed bailing out…while her sister CONSTANTLY needs money to get out of tight spots. Well, now our listener needs some extra cash…is it ok to ask it from her parents – who have dropped tens of thousands of dollars on her sister’s screw ups – for a graduation gift?

Here’s the email:

Bert Show,

I’d love your opinions on if I’m out of line or if my potential request is fair. My entire life I’ve been the good child. I’ve never caused any problems for my parents. I am pretty independent, I never get into any trouble and I never ask for money. I’ve had a job since my freshman year of high school and through college, I have often worked 2 jobs to support myself. I’ve literally been given no financial help from my parents other than a roof over my head when I lived at home. My sister, on the other hand, is constantly needing money from them. They helped pay her school tuition and yet she failed out of school. She’s had 2 DUIs which have cost my parents a ton of money in attorneys and they’ve paid multiple bills and car payments for her. They’ve given her 10s of thousands of dollars over the years just bailing her out of her mistakes.

I’ll be graduating a semester early in December. A friend and I have been planning a trip to Europe to travel for a few months. We both have some family and friends that we could occasionally stay with to cut our costs down. I have some money saved but I really need 5k in help from my parents to pull it off. This weekend, I plan to ask them for their financial assistance for the first time in my entire life. I’m super nervous about it and anticipating being angry if they say no.

Am I crazy and out of line for asking my parents for a 5 thousand dollar graduation gift? If they’ve given my sister 10s of
thousands in money for screwing up, shouldn’t I be rewarded for doing everything right?