Grandma asks devoted 18-year-old grandson to keep inheritance plans secret, uncles slam the teenager for keeping his promise: ‘Uncle John’ was upset, saying that she’s their mom and should have left them something’

Author image for Etai Eshet
Etai Eshet • Editor
Feb 6, 2025 6:00 AM EST

Money makes people weird. Grown men turn into cranky toddlers, forget how calendars work, and everyone's suddenly an expert on what departed relatives really wished for and what they should have done with their cash. 

And many times, the smartest person in the room is the teenager who just wants to read books.  

The teenager in the center of today's story simply liked horror novels and hanging out with Grandma. While others were busy living their lives, he spent quality time with Stephen King and Nan. 

Their deal was perfect: he got book money, she got entertainment, and both got something better than inheritance drama: actual human connection.  

Grandma trusted him with her inheritance plans because he earned it. No schemes, no manipulation, just honest time together. She wanted her money going to charity, plus a college fund for his cousin whose dad sees bets as a retirement planning.

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  • 01

    "AITA for not telling my uncles we won’t inherit anything?"

    "Grandma asked me not to tell anyone about this and I didn't. I kept my mouth shut"
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 02
    Before my(18m) grandma passed away, she and I had an arrangement. She gave me money to buy horror novels and I read them to her twice a week. We spent a fair amount of time together.
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  • When the teenager’s dad and uncles finally found out, Dad stayed cool. Uncle Henry felt grateful his daughter got help. But not Uncle John. 

    In his opinion, the boy should have leaked Grandma's private business like a government whistleblower. Because when it comes to free money, keeping promises is now a betrayal. 

  • 03
    During one of our last sessions, she confided in me that she wanted to leave all her money to charities but decided to leave a college fund for my cousin(16f) since 'Uncle Henry' lost a massive
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    Cheezburger Image 10462766592
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 05
    gambling. The guy thought he could recover all he lost by making a big bet on Mike Tyson but then Jake Paul won, so he ended up losing even more.
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  • 06
    Grandma asked me not to tell anyone about this and I didn't. I kept my mouth shut.
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  • 07
    When my dad and uncles found out, they reacted in different ways. Dad wasn't really that surprised since Grandma was rather charitable, especially in her later years. Uncle Henry was
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  • 08
    grateful for the fund but 'Uncle John' was quite upset, saying that she's their mom and should have left them something
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  • 09
    All three of them got suspicious and asked me if Grandma told me about this during one of the afternoons I spent at her place. I admitted that I knew about it and
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    Uncle John said I should've told them first instead of letting them find out this way. That it wouldn't hurt so much if he had time to prepare instead of being caught off guard.
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  • Here is an eighteen-year-old who chose books over video games, quality time over TikTok, and loyalty over family gossip and 

    The kid who understood that Grandma was worth more than her bank account is the real winner here. Plus, he got a lifetime supply of horror novels. Take that, Uncle John.

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  • 12
    ashleybrown_ Definitely NTA. Your grandma made a decision about her money, and she trusted you to keep it private. You weren't lying or deceiving anyone-you were just honoring what she
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    asked of you. Uncle John is upset, but no amount of warning would have changed the fact that he wasn't inheriting anything.
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  • 14
    He's blaming you because he doesn't want to direct that frustration at your grandma, but at the end of the day, it was her choice, not yours. You did nothing wrong.
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  • 15
    BicycleNinjaFrog NTA - you had private bonding time with your grandma and she told you about a decision that she made. You did not have to spill it to anyone else! In fact it would have been chaos to.
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    'Uncle john' didn't want time to not be surprised and processed, he wanted time to go to his mother and pressure her in her dying days to give him money. I bet he wouldn't have even
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  • 17
    tried to get your dad or the other uncle a cut, he just wanted it. He would have caused a huge family rift as your grandma was dying and taken away her peace. So you not starting that off means you're NTA
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  • 18
    nOshmon NTA. Uncle John probably wanted to know so that he could have fully tripped grandma into changing her will. You were told something in confidence and respected the clearly stated wishes. You 100% did the right thing
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  • 19
    soilbuilder NTA. If your Grandma wanted them to know before she passed, she would have told them. The fact that she didn't means she probably knew Uncle John would be an about it and she didn't want to (and shouldn't have to) deal with that.
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  • 20
    I'm sorry for your loss. Those memories built while reading to her will be increasingly precious. She sounds like she was a lovely woman.
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  • 21
    Heraonolympia123 He would have made that woman's life hol if he knew. He would have nagged, threatened and cajoled, used every emotional blackmail trick in the book. She had a peaceful life because you can keep a secret. If she wanted them to know, SHE would have told them. NTA
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  • 22
    Horror-Reveal7618 Nta Translation: it wouldn't have hurt so much if he had had the time to harass your grandma into changing her will.
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  • 23
    You did the right thing by keeping quiet. If your grandmother had wanted them to know, she would have tell them herself.
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  • 24
    Philosophy_Negative NTA. For future reference, it's OK to lie when someone asks you a question that's not their business to know.
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  • 25
    It's not his right to know what you discussed with your grandma. You're not obligated to tell your uncle anything.
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family drama inheritance aita AITAH brother mother tradition siblings family feud favoritism wedding aunt sister fiancé grandmother Father
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