While not many enjoy the single life, being romantically unattached to someone provides more financial freedom and space as personal expenses will not be high.
Unfortunately for one Malaysian, his single status had led to strained ties with his siblings as they assumed that he should be the one footing bills just because of that.
Seen as the “richest”
In an anonymous post on XUAN, the OP wrote that he was the youngest sibling and earned the most compared to the rest.
Due to the fact that he had no mortgage, car loan, children, or major expenses, he was perceived to be financially well off.
“Whenever the family goes out to eat, I’m always the one who pays as everyone else will just sit quietly. If I don’t make a move, my father, who’s a retiree, will get up to pay.
“As I don’t want him to spend his money, I end up footing the bill instead,” he wrote.
At first, the OP didn’t mind being the one paying as he didn’t want to be calculative with his family and his siblings would request to split the bill with him.
However, he noticed that his siblings gradually avoided splitting bills and instead expected him to pay by default, even when he hasn’t been working recently.
Taken advantage of?
The OP then went on to recount some instances which left him feeling unappreciated by his siblings.
“Once, my sister’s family car had issues, so I lent them my car. However, the car got scratched and I had to pay for the repairs myself. As for my sister and her family, all they gave was an apology,
“There was also a period when my brother wasn’t around and I helped pick and drop his daughter from school for months. Even now, no one has personally thanked me for it.”
The OP explained that while he’s not expecting anything in return, he admitted that a small gift or meal from his siblings would make him feel remembered and appreciated.
He added that he was deeply hurt to see his siblings spend tons of money on gift baskets for friends or clients, but never once thought of doing something for a family member who had helped them countless times.
Isolation
To make matters worse, the OP wrote that once his siblings got married, they became busy with their own families, making him feel like an outsider.
Do siblings naturally grow distant after they have their own families? Why does it feel like single people are expected to bear more burdens? Is it because earning more means you’re supposed to take on more responsibilities?
“These are questions I still don’t have answers to,” he concluded.
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