To not pay my parent’s bills so they can work parttime?

[SoftChewyFoods]

Basically the above.

I could afford to help them out on 1 or 2 bills so they could cut down hours at work. But I don’t want to, I was hoping to wait until they were much much older. They’re only early 50s.

I don’t want to yet because they will want more and more bills paid and they currently use emotional blackmail to try and persuade me to do it like “But Mel’s son pays her bills and she works parttime and he earns less than you so you could help me” or “You clearly don’t like me much if you won’t help me out” or my very favourite “at my time of life I should be slowing down and doing less”

For context I have a sibling who cannot work and never will, they don’t live with this parent they live with our other parent.

I have my own child to support singlehandedly as for various reason my Ex doesn’t pay maintenance.

AIBU?

Vote:
YANBU - Don't pay the bills
YABU - Pay the bills

I can’t believe what I’ve just read! I wouldn’t give the cheeky lazy fuckers one penny if I were you OP. In fact I’d probably go nc with people who want to use me as a meal ticket and use emotional blackmail in order to do so.

No I wouldn’t. Too much responsibility and you have your own OP

"at my time of life I should be slowing down and doing less”

I'm older than your parent and have no intention of slowing down or doing less - if anything, the opposite.
Life is for living.

Early 50s! The only people I know who are winding down in 50s are civil servants who’ve been there for years and years and have got amazing pensions. I’m 49 and just ramping back up after years of part time work because of childcare.

I have to fight mine to get them to allow me to pay for dinner. And last time I did, my mum Split the equivalent amount of cash between my DCs. I think my dad would think I’d gone mad if I offered to pay the gas bill for them.

God no. Never got into it. Maybe if our mortgage paid off I could. Her house old so there always something but not something I started. Her bills are constant ..

Your duty of care, and to provide for, is to your child and yourself.

Not your parents - who are perfectly capable of providing for themselves, they'd just prefer not to.