Mom finds an undeposited check for $500 addressed to her daughter, sobs and berates her daughter for not giving her the money: 'She said she could have used that $500 if I didn’t want it.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Oct 5, 2026 12:30 PM EDT

Why does she feel like she's entitled to her money anyway? 

It's always good for adult children and their parents to keep a little distance as they age. I'm not saying that you should move to the other side of the country to get away from your mother if you don't want to do that! I'm not even saying that it's wrong to talk every day or even see each other multiple times a week. But it's important to set boundaries so your parent isn't treating you like a teenager or a child. 

Imagine if your mom went through your bank statement and criticized you for spending too much money on coffee. It would be one thing if you were struggling to maintain a budget and asking your mom for help, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about her going through your personal stuff without your permission and giving you unsolicited advice about how you should run your life. I don't care how close you are with your mom; that is inappropriate in all circumstances. Many parents are unwilling to accept that they cannot control what their adult kids do with their lives and their money, and it drives them wild. 

The mom in this story feels entitled to her daughter's money, which is one of the worst things a parent can be. It's one thing if a parent is deeply struggling, and their adult child wants to help them out of the kindness of their heart, but I don't think that's the case here. The mom in this story went through her daughter's things and found an old $500 check. She assumed that her daughter did not deposit the check and felt devastated because she (the mother) really wanted the money and could have used it for herself. 

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  • Sad senior woman
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A sad mother who wants her daughter's money. 

    Model portrayal.

  • I never deposited a check, or did I?

    My mom called me absolutely furious because she found a check of mine for $500 that had apparently gone undeposited. My mom was livid, she was practically in tears because she said she could have used that $500 if I
    via u/Ok-Parrot-1659
  • didn't want it, how could I do this, etc. I thought there was no way I hadn't deposited a check for $500, especially considering I'm pretty sure I had direct deposit, but I figured that if I hadn't deposited it, it would be in my state's unclaimed property
    via u/Ok-Parrot-1659
  • records. The thing is, the company I worked for went under several years ago. Is it even likely that they would submit my check to unclaimed property? I feel like they would just...keep whatever money people
    via u/Ok-Parrot-1659
  • hadn't claimed, especially since they went bankrupt.
    via u/Ok-Parrot-1659
  • Petition to file for bankruptcy
    via Melinda Gimpel

    A petition to file for bankruptcy

  • Wyrmillion Sounds like a boundaries issue above all
    via u/Wyrmillion
  • Ok-Parrot-1659 OP Oh absolutely lol
    via u/Ok-Parrot-1659
  • Impossible_News97 Yeah, it's almost like the side plot here is $500. The bigger problem is mom seeing the money in her grown child's pocket and all of a sudden thinking I could've used that that is a boundary problem in financial problem disguise.
    via u/Impossible_News97
  • atlantagirl30084 Why does your mom think it's her money to spend?
    via u/atlantagirl30084
  • Awesome Shoulder8241 they probably live together and share the burden of whatever bills and medical expenses.
    via u/Awesome_Shoulder8241
  • Ok-Parrot-1659 OP We do not She was just saying "if you didn't want it, I would've taken it" since I "apparently thought so little of $500"
    via u/Ok-Parrot-1659
  • AliveExample4855 Tell your mom off. It has nothing to do with her. Also... did you get the money back? The 500? Your mom better not have taken it....
    via u/AliveExample4855
  • squishygoddess Did she check the back for an endorsement? You may have mobile deposited it.
    via u/squishygoddess
  • Ok-Parrot-1659 OP I thought so too, I asked her and she said it wasn't signed. But she could have just been saying that because she was mad... Regardless, I don't live in the same state, and she's not talking to me right now cuz of this, so I guess I can't find out.
    via u/u/Ok-Parrot-1659
  • salty_drafter Look at it as 500 spent on reminding you on how much you need to not talk to her. It'll save you much more.
    via u/salty_drafter
  • stacey 1771 keep it that way....
    via u/stacey1771
  • morbie5 You could look in your bank account history and see if it looks like you a deposit that should have happened is missing from that time period
    via u/morbie5
  • Beautiful young businesswoman in the office at night working late
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A young woman checks her bank statements to see whether the $500 check was deposited when she received it.

    Image depicted solely for explanatory purposes.

  • Swimming-Dealer293 Money no longer exists.... Went away with the bankruptcy.
    via u/Swimming-Dealer293
  • romero0705 Checks are usually only valid for 180 days. Even if the business still existed and you had forgotten to deposit the money, it's a moot point. I think your mom is just desperate for a windfall right now. I can't blame her. Stress makes you grasp at straws.
    via u/romero0705
  • Odd-Wheel5315 In the order of liquidations, unpaid wages are first in line, above all else (including the government wanting unpaid taxes). Usually when a company has reached the point of bankruptcy, it is because either bondholders are demanding debt repayment, or unsecured supplies are refusing to ship new product for the company to use/sell until outstanding invoices are paid, and the company doesn't have free cash enough to make those payments...and when you can't get new supplies to sell yo
    via u/Odd-Wheel5315
  • (usually for $0.50 or less), and by the time stockholders are considered there is usually nothing left, So it is highly unlikely that the firm had such little money they couldn't pay their unpaid wages. It is however possible, depending on how small/mismanaged the company was, that an old paycheck wasn't properly recorded as outstanding unpaid wages when bankruptcy was overseen by a judge. You can go on the missing money website and search you name, see if they did the proper thing -- which woul
    via u/Odd-Wheel5315
  • If the company didn't turn anything over, you're probably SOL. You can try to raise the matter with the bankruptcy judge if the bankruptcy was recent (it does take 1-5 years to wind up bankruptcy, depending on the size & complexity of the company), as they might still have funds they were looking to distribute to lesser claimholders, and your unpaid wages would those lesser claims.
    via u/Odd-Wheel5315
  • Ok-Parrot-1659 OP D n. I've already checked the unclaimed property website for my state, no dice. Thanks so much for your expertise, I really appreciate it.
    via u/u/Ok-Parrot-1659

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money problems bad parenting bad parents parenting paycheck mom money Parenting Fail check Parenting FAILS
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