19-year-old Bella takes her 23-year-old cousin’s graduation party gift cards and cash mid-celebration because she needs them more: I told her to drop everything she collected right there and stop it’

Author image for Etai Eshet
Etai Eshet • Editor
May 31, 2025 9:00 AM EDT

There's always one relative at every family gathering who acts like social norms are just guidelines, suggestions, really—best tossed aside for maximum personal gain. Meet 19-year-old Bella, a cousin who treats graduation parties like a clearance sale, except the items have sentimental value and her "discount" involves helping herself for free. The ink on that college degree is barely dry when Bella swoops in, eyeing the cards and cash with all the finesse of someone who's never heard of boundaries, or shame, or, apparently, personal property.

Not content with just window shopping, Bella starts pocketing gift cards—Starbucks, Target, you name it, offering up logic worthy of a villainious toddler: obviously, older relatives don't drink coffee, and obviously, starting a job means post-grad adulthood is basically a license to print money. When confronted, she dials up the drama and sprints to her mother, a woman whose parenting style seems to be "well, why not?" rather than "put that back before you embarrass us further."

Instead of the expected apology, there's a shrug, a weak defense, and an awkward silence only broken when the actual adult in the room—your own mom—steps in and puts an end to Bella's free-for-all. 

Life after graduation comes with enough surprises—having to defend your own presents from ambitious relatives shouldn't be one of them.

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  • 01

    Entitled cousin bugged me to let her take my graduation gift at my party because "you're older and you don't need them".

    "Halfway through the party, she starts going through the stack of cards and presents"
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 02
    123F just graduated from college, and my family threw a little party. Nothing fancy, just food, tunes, and some really lovely presents
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    all gift cards and some smaller cash from family members to get me established post-grad.
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    Gift CARD
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 05
    My 19year-old cousin Bella, halfway through the party, she starts going through the stack of cards/presents I already opened
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    earlier and said, "You don't mind if I grab a few of these, do you? I mean, you're done with school. I've got two more years!"
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  • 07
    I laughed because I thought she was kidding but she wasn't.
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    0000 0000 0000
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 09
    She started pocketing $25 Starbucks gift card and a Target gift card, giving the following reason to justify it: "You don't
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    even drink coffee, and I NEED school clothes. Plus, you're getting a job now, so it's basically fair."
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    I told her to drop everything she collected right there, and stop it. She runs to her mom (my aunt), and tells her that I am being "stingy" and "killing the party vibe.".
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  • 12
    Rather than telling her to apologize, my aunt SHRUGS and responds, "Well, maybe you could share. She's just
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    excited." My mom immediately ask Bella not to come close to those gift again.
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  • 14
    I was shocked who comes to someone else's graduation party and starts playing with their gifts like they're a
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    community donation box? You'd think she was begging for charity the way she was helping herself out.
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  • 16
    JohnnyHekking Cousin is an entitled brat.
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  • 17
    MW240z Remind her at every chance "remember that time you tried to steal my gifts because you were such an entitled brat? Omg that was so weird, we laugh about that all the time."
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    If she cries to Auntie. "I love you Aunt, but you've raised 11 an entitled j
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family drama graduation mother celebration teenagers graduation gift grad school gift Party aunt Reddit cousins
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