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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To wonder how parents deal with once child being more successful than the other?

331 replies

User5512 · 08/10/2023 18:54

Is it hard to not feel sorry for the “poorer” child?

DC A : Got lucky with their first job at a start up, successful exit after 5 yrs. invested wisely and is now a multi millionaire. Great lifestyle, flexible pay, very high paying jobs (C level) etc

DC B: NHS consultant, stressful job, relatively lower pay, very little flexibility. Married to another NHS doctor.

Parents support DC B a lot (childcare mostly) and DC-A gets quite annoyed as they don’t get as much support. They can afford to pay, but you can’t buy grandparents.

DC-B feels left out when DC-A takes parents on exotic holidays with their family, gives them expensive gifts (cars and watches etc)

Parents feel stuck in the middle !

OP posts:
Paynefully · 10/10/2023 10:33

You all sound intolerably self involved and obnoxious. What a toxic family. Just be happy for eachother. If the parents are commenting on the grand success of one child and not her other than I can see why there will be conflict.

none of the children in this scenario are poor ffs. There will always be someone richer too. Stop comparing them.

Darkmode2 · 10/10/2023 10:42

The term money doesn't but happiness comes to mind with this one

Neither of them sound like they appreciate would they have

DoDoDoD · 10/10/2023 10:43

People make their own choices and priorities. Other than terrible accidents or personal tragedies or other factors far beyond their control, there's no need to feel sorry for anyone who has a decent enough salary (a consultant for the NHS married to another one has a relatively decent salary) or who has more or less equivalent time with their parents/children.

In my large family, two of my siblings are millionaires, the rest have average professional income - I don't think anyone feels better than/sorry for anyone else/entitled to anything anyone else has. The richer ones host more family gatherings due to the size of their houses, we all contribute when we can. They also treat our parents to more costly things than the rest of us (holidays etc) but in turn the less well-off still do days out or have the parents over for dinner etc. One of my nephews is disabled and does probably spend more time with their grandparents than the others but that's due to their circumstances in terms of respite and so on - they need my parents more than the other dcs do. Comparison is the thief of joy as they say....

DoDoDoD · 10/10/2023 10:45

User5512 · 08/10/2023 19:15

Exactly! Both children make the parents feel bad in different ways.

Well they should refuse to feel bad. Nobody is immortal, they should all do what they can to enjoy and appreciate the time they have with one another.

Thexwife · 10/10/2023 11:47

My sister worked hard and is a millionaire. I didn’t and I’m not. My brother and sister both have successful marriages- I married a narcissist, he just pretended he was nice and bled me dry! My siblings both helped me and the children out. I didn’t expect them too but without them I would have been made to go back to an abusive marriage. Both our parents are dead. I know neither thought in these terms and it seems to be a lot of rivalry in the dynamic. My brother got most childcare as both parents were alive for some of that time. My sister was put through uni. So what? It’s never been an issue. You all sound very lucky and successful. The issue is probably that you have one set of grandchildren more. But that could be circumstances. As long as you and they make an effort - its all good. Day in, day out childcare isn’t always the best way to enjoy grandchildren.

Quitelikeit · 10/10/2023 11:54

Treat all your kids the same and offer them the same things/time/money and they will have a great relationship

Treat them differently and that will impact upon them whether you like it or not.

two consultants will be bringing home around 10k per month so hardly on the breadline

I’d still offer to help with childcare for the rich child as it is not your job to reduce the outgoings of the ‘poor family’. Had you done that then you might find the richer sibling shows more compassion to his sibling.

Mooshamoo · 10/10/2023 13:53

This is the most tone deaf post I think I've ever read.

We live in a Cost of living crisis where people can barely afford their heating bills.

You think a doctor is not successful and is poor?

Your post actually made me angry. Go out and look around the real world.

Miyagi99 · 10/10/2023 16:11

User5512 · 08/10/2023 19:05

Where did I say that?

It’s all relative - isn’t it?

But you’re equating success with money and that doesn’t always (often) mean the same thing at all!

Sj07 · 10/10/2023 17:58

From reading your post it seems like both DC are doing very well for themselves, both have good jobs and incomes, but most importantly they are blessed with family. Spouses / partners, children, parents who help and support them. Depends how you would measure success. I'd say they're both doing pretty well on the grand scheme of things.

Mummytotheboy · 10/10/2023 18:19

Bottom line is Child B is jealous of Child A. Worked their arse off through med school, uni, med school. They have a great job in comparison to some.
It sounds like Child A as fallen in the proverbial barrel and as come out smelling of millions of pounds worth of Roses. Not saying they havent worked hard but it seems like they have had a smoother journey and have gained more. Well done to them. That's the way of life

Letsgetouttahere2023 · 10/10/2023 21:39

A doctor is not a success

It's poorly paid poorly respected and very hard work

Sadly

girlfriend44 · 10/10/2023 21:49

Totally true.

Nowhere was health mentioned either. It's so.important and money can't buy it.

Runnerinthenight · 10/10/2023 23:39

Letsgetouttahere2023 · 10/10/2023 21:39

A doctor is not a success

It's poorly paid poorly respected and very hard work

Sadly

Really???!!

Cyb3rg4l · 11/10/2023 00:30

Does everyone in your family define success based on income, or is that just you?

Wisenotboring · 11/10/2023 07:05

I'm really struggling to understand why one child is more successful than the other. The only tangible difference i can see is that child.A is richer. Why does that make them.more successful. They're hardly scrabling around on the bread line with low status job!

PosterBoy · 11/10/2023 08:29

Cyb3rg4l · 11/10/2023 00:30

Does everyone in your family define success based on income, or is that just you?

I don't think it's everyone because the parents seem to mainly hang out with Child B and their family, not Child A.

Happy to take free stuff from A but that's all they are good for.

To be fair, that does actually sound like the whole lot are a bit messed up around money and its substitution for love

DriftingDora · 11/10/2023 08:37

Runnerinthenight · 10/10/2023 23:39

Really???!!

Agree. Completely bonkers.

PosterBoy · 11/10/2023 09:03

DriftingDora · 11/10/2023 08:37

Agree. Completely bonkers.

Oh someone always throws out this kind of one liner for effect

As if ...

Mumof2boys999 · 11/10/2023 13:05

You are probably proud of both of your children and who they are. They are both doing incredibly well. Tell them.

MrsSunshine2b · 11/10/2023 13:08

JustWhatWeDontNeed · 08/10/2023 19:43

If my sibling was a multi millionaire I'd expect some to be flung in my direction! 😅 I'd certainly be looking after mine if I was extremely wealthy.

I don't think the poorer sibling can be that hard up on a dual doctor income though, can they? If rich sibling envies the time then maybe they should pay for povvo's half term child care so you can visit them instead.

It's hard to feel too sorry for anyone in these circs to be honest but I can only assume the siblings don't particularly like each other.

This! If I daydream about winning the lottery the first things that come into my head are how I'll divide the money up with my family! Sad that this family have been so fortunate and all they can do is bicker.

Lizziethepink666 · 11/10/2023 14:23

I think, like a lot of people here, I'm struggling to see exactly what the issue is, as it's not clear whether you are the parent or one of the children, and your question isn't very well defined so it's hard to answer it.

I'm going to attempt to recap what it sounds like:

Parents have two successful children, neither of whom require financial support from the parents, and both of whom are financially comfortable and professionally accomplished, but DCA is a fair bit wealthier then DCB.

Parents provide more support to DCB in terms of childcare, which DCA resents (Does DCA even have children? You say they can afford childcare so I'm guessing yes, but the resentment isn't because they have an unmet need). You don't say what exactly they resent here, but if it isn't the money then it must be either envy of the time you spend with DCB and their children, or it's simple entitlement that they aren't getting something the other is getting.

DCA pays for parents to have expensive holidays and gifts such as cars, which DCB resents (because they aren't included in the holidays and expensive gifts? Or because they can't afford to match the gifts to the parents? Unclear). Again, it's not clear exactly what the cause of the resentment is, because you aren't providing anything to DCA here, so again, is it a time and attention thing? DCA gets to swank around the Maldives with you while DCB only gets to schlep around Waitrose?

Regardless of causes, the question I think you're asking is how do you not get stuck in the middle.

Clearly neither child is poor or unsuccessful. Neither child has a valid need that you aren't meeting. You are providing childcare support to one child that you aren't providing to the other, but you say the other child doesn't need you to. Therefore it seems reasonable that you are only giving this support to the one who actually needs this support.

You are also going on fancy holidays with only one child and not the other, but as that is paid for by the child themselves and not you, I don't see how you could be blamed for that.

Therefore, to me, it sounds like two fairly entitled adult children squabbling over petty jealousies that they aren't treated exactly the same despite having different circumstances and different needs. I hate this entitled idea that a lot of people seem to have that if you don't give your kids the exact same then you're not being equal in your love. My mum has always said that she loves us the same amount but that as we have different lives and different needs, we get different things based on those needs. What she does try to do is make sure there is some balance, so she might offer my brother more financial support and me more practical support. Or she might spend more on me, but more on my brother's kids, or more on me this year but more on him another year. She might go on holiday with him but spend the summer helping me have a clear out. It's not the same things but it is the same amount of love and consideration. It seems reasonable to me that while you have given child A your time and attention by going on holidays together, you've given child B your time and attention by offering childcare support.

However, to answer what I think your question is (how do the parents avoid getting stuck in the middle), I think you need to make sure that your children are complaining to the right person. It doesn't sound like you're truly favouring one child over the other, so this sounds more like sibling jealousy, so next time one of your children complains to you that their sibling gets more time/attention/effort from you, tell them you will always help your children if they have a solid need, and that this isn't always equal because need isn't always equal, but that they are both adults who made their own life choices and have more than enough resources of their own, so beyond that they need to grow up and if they have a problem with their sibling, to take it up with their sibling and not you. When people get caught in the middle of an argument it's important to realise that this is usually because the two sides are using you as a go between to argue with each other. Once you identify that their problem is with each other and not you, it enables you to stand back and tell them to take the issue up with the person they're actually angry with. If it helps give you some perspective, both my brother and I rely entirely on benefits to pay our bills - me because I have a degenerative illness and can no longer work as a university lecturer, my brother because he runs his own business while being a single father to 5 children and can't make ends meet. Neither of us rely on our mother for money and manage perfectly well on much, much less than a dual NHS consultant family and are both perfectly content with what we have. My brother does, however, live with my mother (but pays his way) and so gets much more practical support. This is because he needs it more than I do. I don't resent it because I don't need it, and because I love my brother so I'm grateful he is getting the support he needs. Either your kids aren't getting something they need (and that might be a good question to ask them - is your distress down to me not giving you something you need because I'm not aware of it?) and resent that the other is, or, and this is how it sounds, they're both entitled children who should grow up and stop envying what the other has and start appreciating what they themselves have.

concertgoer · 12/10/2023 05:02

If you’re measuring success in terms of output and contributions to society, the grandchildren will be a great place to see it!

those attending private school with “new money” will probably result in an attitude of selfish entitlement. But having been told so by their peers and parents.
not saying that’s right or wrong - just how it often us.

those children of the doctors attending state schools (I imagine good “middle class” state schools) will have a more rounded education about the world from both school and home.

academically I wouldn’t be surprised if the state school gave better results too!!

if the grandparents feel their is a financial imbalance they want to level up, they can do this with their wills (or lifetime gifts).

as grandparents they should split their time between both families … or bring them together to be with both at the same time.

ultimately as parents we spend time stopping our children squabbling… doesn’t matter if they’re little, teens or married with kids the parents should not encourage or tolerate competition or conflict.

Traverseedubosphore · 12/10/2023 08:46

Letsgetouttahere2023 · 10/10/2023 21:39

A doctor is not a success

It's poorly paid poorly respected and very hard work

Sadly

It is the most respected profesion of all - take a look at the social attitudes data.

In your world success and hard work appear incompatible?

Daisyblue77 · 12/10/2023 12:12

Well said, your success is earned by hard work. Not getting ‘lucky’ . A. Therefore can not be measured against money.

Badanxiety · 12/10/2023 14:06

I can see why DCA would be annoyed, my nephew is always at my mums house, most weekends and quite often in the week also. But hardly ever has my DC and after arguing for years that she’s not treating them fair we no longer talk and now the DC are starting to see it now and my oldest hardly sees her now and the youngest is quite often upset when he can’t go over but his cousin can

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