Few things create tension in a marriage faster than financial secrets.

This teenager found himself caught in the middle of one after discovering something his father had been hiding from his mother.

For years, the family had watched his uncle struggle financially while refusing to hold a steady job.

Then he learned that his father had quietly been sending his uncle a substantial amount of money every month.

When he told his mother what was going on, the secret didn’t stay hidden for long.

Read on to see what happened next.

AITA for exposing my dad giving money to my uncle/his brother?

My (17M) uncle (64M) used to live with my immediate family and my grandma until I was 12, but due to some family disagreements, he has since moved out.

During the time my uncle had lived with us, he had not worked a single day, and would use the excuse of needing to take care of my grandma when questioned. However, my grandma at the time was more than capable of taking care of herself, and was even well enough to go on vacations with her friends.

My uncle did not pay for rent, bills (utilities, etc.), or anything except for his own stuff like phone plan, car insurance, health insurance, etc. I am not sure where he got the money, but my sister (24F) speculates that he was using my grandma’s money for his own stuff because she used to frequently travel to the bank with them (grandma and uncle) after school.

Suddenly, his mother was suspicious of his father.

Anyhow, even after my uncle had moved out, he only worked odd jobs to stay afloat. In more recent years, though, he has gone on multiple government subsidies/benefits for money.

Well, about two years back, my sister and I had asked him why he doesn’t work, and he just says, “Nobody wants to hire an old man like me,” or “The job market is rough.” When I told him that I know a couple places that could hire him, he’ll just continue with the excuses.

A few months ago, I heard my mom and dad arguing. She wanted the bank statements from my dad’s accounts to track payments so they could budget for some house fixes, and my dad adamantly refused.

That’s when they found out where he was getting the money.

A few days ago, I found out my dad has been giving money to my uncle every 1-2 months, averaging 1.2k a month.

To make you understand why I exposed my dad (to my mom), it’s because my uncle buys solely organic food, gambles, smokes (spends a lot of cigarettes), rents cars (not even leasing), and many other things where he’s living beyond his means. I just thought he was supporting a leech.

Both my uncle and dad now are angry at me, and several of my extended family members have been berating me for not “supporting family who’s in need.” I’ve also been told not to come to any family events anymore because I’m “not a family person.”

AITA?

Wow! That’s a lot of money to give someone each month.

If you enjoyed this post, check out this post about an entitled daughter who wants the same rewards as her hardworking brother.

Let’s see how the readers over at Reddit feel about this whole situation.

It might seem that way.

It is a lot of money!

This is so true!

When it’s put like that, you see how ridiculous it is.

It’s hard to blame the teenager for speaking up.

His mother had a right to know where that money was going, especially when she was trying to figure out the family’s finances.

And let’s be real. We’re not talking about a few dollars here and there. We’re talking about a significant amount of money that he apparently worked very hard to keep hidden.

People damage marriages doing things like that. Let’s hope it’s not the case for this family.