As a parent, we want to teach our children to live independently and sometimes, this means doing things that we may not be comfortable with doing. We often give up a lot of our lives to ensure that our children are happy, healthy, and safe.

As we get older, we may want some time to ourselves and in many cases, this time is well deserved. It is something that the woman in this story learned for herself, and she was going to teach her daughter a lesson at the same time.

Life is not always what you expect and at times, we need to support our family in ways that they may not understand. This is a beautiful story that anyone in the family should read.

When I first read my mom’s response, I was furious.

I stared at the message on my phone, rereading it at least ten times. Was she serious? She worked her whole life to give me “everything I needed”? Then why was I struggling so much now? I felt abandoned, betrayed, and, if I was being honest—hurt.

I started typing a response, something heated and emotional, but I stopped myself. Instead, I decided I needed to talk to her face-to-face. Maybe she just didn’t understand how tough things were for me right now.

So, I called her.

“Mom, I don’t think you get it,” I started as soon as she answered. “I’m drowning over here, and you’re out there living like a queen.”

She sighed on the other end. “Honey, I do get it. But you have to understand—this is my time now. I’m not saying that to be cruel, but I spent decades worrying about you, about work, about bills. I sacrificed my own dreams to make sure you had opportunities I never had.”

I scoffed. “Yeah, but what good were those opportunities if I’m still struggling?”

There was a pause before she spoke again, softer this time. “Tell me something, sweetheart. What exactly do you need?”

I hesitated. “I… I don’t know. Money to help with my credit card debt, rent, maybe some of my car payments. Just a little cushion.”

Mom sighed again. “I’m going to be really honest with you. I love you more than anything, but I don’t think giving you money is going to fix this. You need to figure out what got you into this place to begin with.”

That stung. “So, you’re saying this is my fault?”

“No, I’m saying this is your responsibility.”

I didn’t respond right away. My fingers curled around the phone as I tried to push down my frustration.

She continued. “You’re not a kid anymore. You have a good job, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but it barely covers everything.”

“What about budgeting? Have you looked at where your money is going?”

I stayed silent. Because, honestly? I hadn’t. I knew I was spending too much, but I didn’t really want to face it. I had been living paycheck to paycheck, swiping my card whenever I needed something, and hoping things would magically balance out.

“Listen,” Mom said gently, “I didn’t raise you to be helpless. I know it’s tough right now, but I also know you’re capable of figuring this out. And if you really need help—not just a bailout—I will always be here to support you. But in ways that actually help you in the long run.”

“Like what?” I asked, skeptical.

“Well, for starters, I can sit down with you and go through your finances. Maybe help you create a budget, find areas where you can cut back. I can even recommend a financial advisor.”

I let out a humorless chuckle. “So, no free money?”

“No, sweetheart. Because if I just gave you money, you’d be right back in this position in a few months.”

I wanted to argue. I wanted to be mad at her. But deep down, I knew she was right. I had been relying on the idea that if things got really bad, she would step in and fix them. I had never really learned to stand on my own two feet financially.