'My son is clearly resenting us': Parents give one child $4k for Christmas and give the other $800, wonder if they're wrong

Brad Dickson • Managing Editor

Jan 9, 2023 1:00 PM EST

The sibling relationship may be one of the most complex: two individuals who have interacted and competed throughout the entire duration of their challenging developmental years. These years of ever-shifting emotional conflict can foster incredibly strong, near-unbreakable bonds; or can form two individuals who can't stand to be in the same room as one another.

Jealousy is one of the main contributors to the latter result; oftentimes, one sibling may begin to feel resentment toward their family due to what they perceive to be unfair or unequal treatment and opportunity. The thing is, everyone is different, so it can be challenging for a parent to parent to these differences while still treating their children overall equally.

The sheer fact that your children will be different ages and hit different milestones in different years can be a huge challenge. What is a parent to do when their 16-year-old daughter Becky gets a cellphone, and their 14-year-old son Arnold starts demanding one too? Is it unfair to Becky to give Arnold a phone two years younger? Or is it unfair to Arnold that he doesn't have a cell phone, and Becky does? Due to challenges such as this, and despite parents' best efforts, one sibling might let feelings of resentment and envy creep in.

That's essentially what came to pass during this family's Christmas. The parents gifted their daughter $4k to help with the purchasing of her new home, while her brother was left with $800 worth of gifts.

Redditors ultimately voted that the parents were in the wrong, although the result was hotly discussed and contested. The leading consensus seems to be that the parents should not have made this "gift" part of a Christmas present and should have given it to her as a separate arrangement.

Keep reading to see the screenshots of this thread; for more, check out this unhinged dad who refused to let his adult son leave the house.

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