(News Amomama) - A 19-year-old boy discovered that his mother had a daughter with her ex-boyfriend. A year later, he received a $6 million inheritance from his grandparents' after their demise, but his mother asked him to share the estate with her daughter. He refused.
Many people leave their estate to their grandchildren instead of their children. When a person is the only grandchild, it is quite common to receive the entire estate.
Needless to say, if the inheritance is worth millions of dollars, one would plan their future around their newfound wealth. But what happens if their mother asks them to divide the money with a daughter she had with her boyfriend.
DISCOVERING HIS SISTER
A Reddit user named judgeme2313 explained that he refused to share his inheritance with his half-sister and asked if he should feel guilty about it. He always considered himself an only child until he discovered that his mother had another child—a girl she gave birth to in college.
His mother conceived her while she was dating her boyfriend. They didn't have enough resources to take care of her, so they gave her up for adoption. Tough his father knew about the girl; no one told OP about her.
The girl named Lucy had not contacted her biological mother until a year ago when she asked her to meet for lunch. Her mother then introduced her to the OP (Original Poster) and invited her to family events. Though OP got along well with Lucy, he never considered her a part of his family.
THE ONLY GRANDCHILD
The OP's mother was her parents' only child, and he was their only grandchild. Before their demise, they revealed that their will would leave their entire estate to OP.
His parents were financially stable themselves and didn't mind not receiving anything. Since the OP was a minor when his grandparents passed away, the estate wasn't handed over to him immediately.
When he turned 20, the estate was transferred to him. He was stunned to discover that his grandparents left him a whopping $6 million.
A REQUEST FROM HIS MOTHER
After Lucy came into the picture, OP's mother asked him to share the inheritance money. She felt it was Lucy's right to have a share as she was also her child. However, OP disagreed.
He never considered Lucy a part of his family, so sharing the inheritance money with her was out of the question. However, his mother thought his decision was selfish.
She had an emotional connection with Lucy and expected her son to feel the same way. Thus, she had thought her son would accept her request and was bitterly disappointed when he refused.
GRANDPARENTS KNEW ABOUT LUCY
OP shared that his grandparents knew about Lucy and were aware of her existence when they chose not to include her in their will. In response to his post, one Redditor wrote:
"NTA - your grandparents were aware of Lucy's existence and they chose not to leave her an inheritance. I am guessing since she was legally adopted your grandparents didn't feel it was necessary"
A couple legally adopted Lucy, and they had enough resources to take care of her. One of her parents was an accountant while the other was a teacher, so it wasn't like she lived in a low-income family, and OP thought she didn't need the money as much as his mother thought she did.
OTHER REDDITORS' SUGGESTIONS
Most people supported the OP with his decision. They said it was OK if he didn't want to share the money with Lucy because he wasn't legally obliged to do so, and one person suggested that his mother could leave her some money in her will. Another user wrote:
"This. If mom is so concerned about Lucy's college expenses, she can chip in as Lucy's parent, just like many parents do. She wants to make it painless by taking from OP's inheritance."
Another Redditor wrote that Lucy was legally adopted and would receive an inheritance from her legal parents anyway. The consensus was that OP did not need to part with his money nor feel guilty about refusing to do so.
WHAT WAS HE GOING TO DO WITH $6 MILLION?
$6 million is a lot of money for a twenty-year-old however, OP has no intention of wasting it. He revealed that he planned on going to law school and opening a law firm after graduating. In response to his idea, a Redditor suggested:
"I'm a lawyer, unsolicited career advice: I wouldn't pour millions of dollars into a new firm fresh out of law school. You have enough money that if you just put it in the stock market in index funds, you could draw a six figure salary from it every year forever."
He went on to say that OP could go to law school and graduate without taking a loan. Then advised that he should work at a firm before he decides to start one on his own.
By Salwa Nadeem
