She took on $60,000 in student loans after parents accidentally 'lost' her college fund. One peek at her sister's bank balance exposed them

Some parents may secretly have a little, harmless bias towards one child, but treating them differently is definitely not the right way to go about it. A 23-year-old individual who goes by u/fearlessstate5503 on Reddit experienced such discriminatory behavior when she realized that her parents gave away all her college funds to her older sister without even informing her. The incident not only left her completely devastated but also forced her to take out $60,000 in student loans to achieve her dream. The post was shared on July 2, and it has received over 2,000 upvotes online. 

A costly secret

The parents had set up separate college funds for both their kids. However, the author's older sister decided to work right after high school and moved out. Meanwhile, after primary education, the author decided to join college and asked her parents to help her with the fees. Instead of handing her the funds, they lied to her, saying they'd lost all their money to bad investments. "It sucked, but I accepted it because I figured life happens," the author confessed. In fact, she took a little over $60,000 in student loans. Things, however, changed after graduation, when she accidentally discovered that her parents had transferred her college funds to her older sister.

When she confronted her parents, they confessed to helping her sister with the funds while she was starting her business. Moreover, they thought their older child would "pay it back eventually," but she never did. "The worst part was that nobody told me. They let me believe the money was simply gone while I signed loan after loan," the author wrote.

Old wounds, new drama

Later, when the author confronted her sister, she hoped she would at least get an apology. But instead, her sister responded, saying that she should be grateful that the business helped their entire family. "She said I was acting entitled because 'it's our parents' money,'" the author recalled. As days passed, the sister pretended as if nothing happened and asked the author if she could be one of her bridesmaids. Still bitter, the 23-year-old refused to attend the wedding unless and until she acknowledged and apologized for what happened. Meanwhile, the parents believed she was trying to ruin the wedding over something that happened years ago, while other relatives told her to forgive her sister.

The golden child

Multiple studies have found that parents indeed have a favorite child, but they rarely admit it. In fact, a YouGov survey conducted in 2018 revealed that 51% of all Americans believe that parents with multiple children have a favorite child, while only 25% disagreed. Similarly, 47% of parents with at least one child believe that parents in general have a favorite child, while only 33% disagreed. While the author's parents may not admit it openly, their past actions revealed who they favored between their two daughters. When the author found out, she was hurt by the lies and the favoritism that had been hidden in plain sight.

'Cut ties'

Meanwhile, people in the comment section sympathized with the author, and several advised her to cut her family off. u/bbaywayway commented, "I'd cut them all off. Your parents and sister are liars and thieves. Do you really need people like this in your life? Limit contact to an absolute bare minimum or end contract if that is better for you. I, too, would not attend the wedding. Move on with your life. Build a new life without them." u/Jen0507 chimed in, "NTJ. And I'm beyond sick of the victims always being expected to be the bigger person and forgive the emotional or physical crimes committed against them. No. Especially after she was a giant brat about it."

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