My Mom Stole 35K from My Grandma and Accused Me of Elderly Abuse, Spurring Me to Take a Stand

A young woman found herself reaching out for advice after her family shunned her mother for stealing her grandmother's money. The parent even tried accusing the young woman of abusing her grandmother before the parent had to face the consequences of her actions.

A Reddit user was left feeling conflicted when she exposed her mother for stealing from her grandmother, causing most of their family members to isolate the woman. Starting from the beginning, the original poster (OP) noted how her now 80-year-old grandmother told her everything that happened in the older woman's life.

However, since she was pretty old now, she struggled with a deteriorating memory. One day, the older woman called OP quite upset and informed the young woman that her daughter (OP's mother) had been stealing her money through fraudulent checks, and the amount she'd taken over ten months was over 35,000.

The older woman's fraud department from her bank even contacted her about it. OP's grandmother also told her that the theft had happened before when she was born. The younger woman was left shocked, and her grandmother suggested calling her ex-husband and telling him.

OP revealed that her grandparents had been divorced for 30 years. Sadly, she didn't know what to do with the information her grandmother gave her, so she sat with it for a few days. Suddenly, she received a text from her mother, who accused her of elder abuse after finding out OP's grandmother had sent her a 3,000 check in the mail four months before her college graduation, with her stating:

"Something in me snapped when I saw that text. I was furious."

She noted how her mother had also taken 16,000 that her father, who died that same year in 2023, had passed down to her. The parent still hadn't paid her back the money as she promised. OP reacted by calling her mother out and informing her she knew about the money she stole from her grandmother.

She also noted that the parent still owed her the money she received from her late father. Trying to explain her actions away, OP's mother claimed the money she took from her grandmother was for plane tickets.

The parent claimed the funds were supposed to be reimbursed and the rest she'd needed to pay for bills and lawyers. However, a while before, OP's mother had informed her that she had a photo of her grandmother's credit card to pay for plane tickets.

OP asked her about that, why she needed reimbursement, and what could cost over 35,000 over ten months. She concluded the conversation by telling the parent that she was fed up and would be contacting her mother's father (OP's grandmother), causing the older woman to lose it.

True to her word, OP called her grandfather and explained everything to him. The older man was shocked by what he heard and couldn't believe his daughter did the same thing again. Sadly, her mother's actions caused her whole family, including OP's grandmother, grandfather, step-brother, and both uncles, to stop talking to her.

"NTA. You didn't destroy her relationships. She did that all by herself."

The woman texted OP, blaming her for the relationships that were destroyed. However, she basically told OP's grandmother that she would never repay. The older woman's bank tried to pursue charges, but she told them not to.

OP eventually got her father's money back from her mother because of her grandfather's influence. However, no one speaks to OP's mother anymore, and she's totally isolated. Sadly, the Redditor felt terrible about it daily, explaining:

"I feel really bad because at the end of the day she is my mom and I don't know if what I did was right. AITA?"

Reddit users didn't disappoint as they rushed to share their opinions. The consensus was that OP wasn't in the wrong and had nothing to feel guilty about. One reader wrote,

"Your mother should be in jail."

Someone else touched on the fact that OP's mother tried to turn the tables, accusing her of elder abuse when she was stealing from her elderly parent. One person addressed that, speculating the reason behind the act, saying,

"Likely because that was 3k less for her to steal! NTA."

"NTA. She's the one that messed up, it's exacerbated because she stole from family," emphasized another reader.

Quoting OP, one person replied, "She texted me and told me all her relationships are destroyed because of me," before replying,

"NTA. You didn't destroy her relationships. She did that all by herself. What you did do is protect your grandmother and any other family from hopefully ever ending up with more financial issues due to your mother."

"For these kinds of people, an accusation is an admission. It's projection all the way down," wrote another reader.

Judging by people's comments, the only wrong person in this scenario is OP's mother, and she, on the other hand, had nothing to feel guilty about; OP's mother needs to lie in the bed she made.

If you found that story thrilling, click here to read a similar one about parents who stole their daughter’s college money to use it for their son’s wedding, only to receive her wrath.