SINGAPORE: A man took to social media to share that his parents have been demanding a monthly allowance from him and his siblings, despite never giving them a stable home or financial support while growing up.
Posting on r/askSingapore, a Reddit forum, he explained that his parents, who are both in their mid-50s, are perfectly capable of earning their own keep. His dad works as a Grabfood driver. His mum, on the other hand, is unemployed despite being in good health.
“She keeps saying she’s tired and lazy to work but she’s extremely healthy. Both parents are healthy,” he wrote. “They’re staying alone in their rental flat and keeps missing out on bill payments cause all their money went to my dad’s gambling hobby.”
Even though his parents received around S$900 each month—S$300 from each sibling—the man said that they would still demand more money every few days.
“We’re all moved out and married and we all just given birth to our first child. Amount may not be so big like from the range of S$50 to S$300 but it’s annoying even after we said ‘No, don’t have’ they still try their luck and ask again the next day,” he said.
“On the months that we are rather tight, they will be pissed off if we missed giving them their allowance.”
He also confessed that his parents do not deserve the financial support because of how they were treated when they were younger.
Without a permanent residence of their own, he and his siblings were forced to constantly move between their relatives’ and friends’ homes during their formative years. “At one point, we were all camping at the beach for almost 3 months even,” he said.
Moreover, they also had to start working at the young age of 14 to support themselves. Their dad, who never once provided them with school pocket money, even took a cut from their salaries.
“I feel like they low-key don’t deserve the money at all. I even feel like to the extent that I should distant myself from them cause they’re being so toxic and I’d rather focus on my newborn and my own family,” he expressed.
“You shouldn’t have to be their retirement plan/gambling sponsor.”
In the discussion thread, one user proposed that instead of giving their parents a monthly allowance, the siblings should pay the bills directly and purchase NTUC vouchers. This way, they could ensure their money isn’t spent on unnecessary expenses.
He added, “Make it clear to them that you will pay for these things and not for other expenses.”
Another user stressed that it’s crucial for them to focus on their own families, especially since there’s a newborn in the picture.
He said, “You shouldn’t have to be their retirement plan/gambling sponsor when they did not take care of you properly as well…”
A third netizen stated that the siblings should consider distancing themselves entirely from their parents.
She wrote, “Just abandon them. No parent should be entitled, forcing their kids to look after them just because they “gave birth” to you. You also didn’t ask to be born.”
Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)