08/17/2025
"Am I the Villain for Choosing to Travel the World Instead of Paying My Adult Child’s Bills?
My daughter is furious with me. She’s buried in credit card debt, struggling to make ends meet, and thinks I’m heartless for “blowing my savings” on trips to Europe, cruises, and lazy afternoons on beaches with a cocktail in hand.
From her perspective, parents should always put their children first — no matter how old those children are. She believes my retirement fund should be her safety net.
But here’s my truth…
For decades, I worked myself to the bone. I clipped coupons, skipped vacations, and wore the same winter coat for fifteen years just so I could provide for her — new clothes, school trips, braces, and a roof over her head without ever letting her see the cracks in my budget.
I gave her everything I could, and now, at 71, I finally have the chance to enjoy what I spent my life saving for. Yet instead of celebrating with me, she’s angry that I won’t hand over my hard-earned money to pay for mistakes she made as an adult.
I told her, gently but firmly:
“Sweetheart, I love you. But I will not sacrifice the years I have left to fix choices I didn’t make. You’re grown now. It’s time to stand on your own two feet — because I intend to stand on mine, all the way to my next boarding gate.”
She stared at me like I’d just chosen strangers over my own blood…
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