An aunt who asked for shares in a winning lottery ticket after she gifted the ticket to her nephew for his birthday has angered the internet with some even calling the aunt 'entitled.'
The post on Reddit from user @accountforaita33 has gone viral again after being shared 1 year ago. The aunt explains that she has had financial hardship during the year after losing her job. She starts:
"I have had a really rough year, laid off from my job and I'm out of unemployment options. I do own my house and managed to scrape buy to pay my property taxes and insurance with odd jobs but I am eating ramen just about every meal."
She then continues to share that she managed to get enough funds to buy her nephew a birthday present in the form of the lottery tickets and that he won a prize of five figures. She writes:
"I love my nephew and can't get by on the thought that I wouldn't be able to get him a birthday present (Nov 3rd). I scraped together whatever change I could and bought him some lottery scratchers. and holy shit he actually won (on two of them no less). One was for about $50 which was cool enough but the second one was actually into the middle 5 figures. I mean life changing money (I can't say exactly how much because in our state lottery winners are all public record)."
Explaining that his parents, (the posters sister and her husband) are very well off, the aunt said she asked if the nephew would give back at least 3/4 of the winnings to which the sister and nephew blocked her.
His parents (my sister and her husband) are very well off. My nephew has a fully funded college fund and every material thing he could ever want. when I found out I told my sister that it would be really cool if my nephew gave me at least 3/4 of the winnings. She asked if I was serious. I said I felt I was being very generous because I really need all of it. She actually hung up on me. I texted my nephew and I think he actually blocked me.
She finishes by saying that she needs the money and asking if she's in the wrong for thinking if he should share the winnings of the gift that she gave him.
"Here's the thing, I NEED this money. It's a matter of me eating or not eating. He doesn't. Am I the asshole for thinking he should share the winnings of the gift I gave him?"
The internet responded with the majority saying she was in the wrong. The top comment explained:
"YTA it was a gift. You don't get to ask for part of someone's gift. It sucks you're having it tough but still doesn't mean you're "generous" for asking for only part of the gift. Sure ask them for help, but don't ask for his gift."
Others called the aunt entitled for asking writing:
"Could you get more entitled? You don't get any of his prezent, regardless of your situation and his."
Another wrote that they understood where the original poster was coming from but should have handled the situation differently saying:
I completely understand where you're coming from, you're frustrated that you pulled together this money and someone much more well off managed to win a load of money on the cards you bought. I would apologize to them, though. Explain it was shitty for you to insist you deserve it for buying the cards because they were a gift.
But I would also explain you weren't trying to be selfish and went about it wrong, that it would mean a lot if he would share some of the winnings because you're really struggling right now and it would change a lot of your life for the better.
"I 100% get why you want this, you just could have handled it better, and asked if he didn't mind sharing rather than implying he should. ♡ I hope that this is resolved, I do suggest apologizing and I hope they do share some of the winnings. Please keep us updated."
What would you do in this situation? Do you think there's any obligation for the prize winner to share their winnings?
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