August 1, 2024 at 7:21 am

Her Cousin’s Kids Want A Theme Park Trip, And She Wants Her To Loan Her $150 So They Can Go. But She Refuses Because She’s Already Borrowed $1,500 That She Hasn’t Paid Back.

by Diana Whelan

Source: Reddit/AITA/Pexels/Karolina Kaboompics

Buckle up, folks!

This story is about how family ties can get tangled in a web of unpaid debts and theme park dreams.

Our protagonist is fed up with being a human ATM for her cousin’s family vacations.

Will she give in this time, or will she finally put her foot down?

Let’s find out!

AITA for refusing to “loan” my cousin $150 to take her kids to 6-Flags theme park?

In the past, my cousin has repeatedly borrowed money and never paid it back. Time goes on and because she has 4 kids (16, 15, 10 and 3), I write it off.

Well, her daughter, the 15 year old, called me and went on a rant about how her dad initially said he would pay for them (the kids) to go to a theme park this weekend but later bailed out because he wanted to use the extra money for something else.

That’s just wrong.

In the past when she’s borrowed money it’s been for things like, the light bill, cell phone, or an extracurricular school activity for the kids.

This time taking them to a theme park, as an end of summer “vacation” in my opinion, was not a justifiable reason to borrow money from me that I know I won’t get back.

Besides that, I haven’t even taken a vacation this summer at all myself.

So, as much as I didn’t want to tell her no, I feel like if you don’t have the money to pay for a “vacation” yourself, then you shouldn’t go OR save up your own money to go.

Absolutely.

After the daughter called me, I called her mom and she immediately said, “I didn’t tell her to call you but the kids really want to go and I’ll pay you back next week.”

When I add up all the money she hasn’t paid back, it’s around $1,500 in the last 2 years. And even though I wanted, in some ways, to give the kids the money, I did not.

Yes, she’s married. Yes she has a job. And yes the husband works as well.

AITA?

Yikes! That’s a roller coaster of family drama!

You can bet Redditors had a lot to say about that one.

This person says if they don’t have the money, that’s too dang bad.

Source: Reddit/AITA

This person says the teen is old enough to know why she can’t lend her the money.

Source: Reddit/AITA

And this person says they definitely should be promising their kids diddly squat.

Source: Reddit/AITA

When the family ATM stops dispensing cash, it’s time to hit the brakes on theme park thrills.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.

Diana Whelan | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Diana Whelan is a contributing writer for TwistedSifter specializing in family dynamics, viral internet culture, and interpersonal relationships. Drawing on her extensive professional background as a senior copywriter in the digital marketing space, Diana excels at transforming community-driven conversations and trending social media debates into relatable, highly engaging narratives.

Rather than simply aggregating online drama, Diana brings a balanced, humorous, and empathetic editorial voice to everyday dilemmas and parenting moments. She has a keen eye for finding the human element at the center of complex relationship conflicts and viral social trends.

Outside of writing, Diana is usually spending time with her husband and two kids, planning elaborate themed parties, or chasing down new family adventures. Fueled by a little too much caffeine and a love for a well-placed pun, she can often be found unwinding with a glass of wine and her very patient golden retriever.

Connect with Diana on LinkedIn and Instagram.