Dear Queenie,
My mother’s pension is not enough for her to live on and she wants me and my brother to each give her money every month to help out.
My brother is very well off, with a good job and no family to support so he can afford to give her as much as she is asking for, but my husband and I have 3 kids in school and we don’t have very much money to spare. We are willing to help her out as much as we can, but not as much as she is asking for and my brother is giving her.
Queenie, how can we make her and my brother understand?—Feeling guilty
Dear Feeling guilty,
There is no reason for you to feel guilty about not being as well off as your brother. That is just the way things are sometimes.
If you have tried to explain all this to your mother and your brother and they do not want to listen to you, try writing them a letter explaining how much you can afford to give and why you cannot afford any more than that. Your first priority has to be your children’s welfare.
