Christmas In July: New Family Celebrations AT FORTY FIVE Magazine Issue 2101 02

AT FORTY FIVE MAGAZINE /18
Help Ms. Mostly! My Child
Borrowed Money From Me
/ B Y D E A R M S . M O S T L Y
introducing ms. mostly
Dear Ms. Mostly,
I am thinking about doing something about the money
my daughter borrowed from me and I can't sleep! I
gave my daughter (and her husband) sixty thousand
dollars for a down payment on a house. Then they
borrowed a further fifteen thousand so they could
clear off some debt and start a business.
That was four years ago, and I haven’t seen a cent.
They seem to be doing fine and just bought a new
vehicle. They live a block from me and never mention
anything about repayment. The last time I brought it
up they didn’t speak to me for three months.
I am thinking of filing a suit against them.
Dear MOM MOANING OVER MONEY,
Woah Nelly! Before you get on that high horse of
pursuing legal action siccing lawyers on your family,
ask yourself this: What’s more important to you? Your
daughter or your money? I’m assuming you don’t need
the money to prevent you eating cat food on toast and
are pursuing it “on principal”. If the gift and loan have
really put you in dire straits, then tell them that.
From what you say, the original amount was a flat-out
gift so it would be churlish to ask for it back. Sadly, as
Mr. Mostly has learned over the years, any loan must be
documented and signed by all parties, especially
family! It makes terms clear to everyone at the outset
and prevents the kind of sleepless nights you are
currently enjoying.
I would like to remind you of the old adage, “no good
deed goes unpunished”, a cynical take on life but there
we are.
Ms. Mostly mostly knows it all and
if not, she is on the hunt to find the
answer for you.
Married, divorced, and married
again with a blended family, she
comes from a place of knowledge.
You will appreciate her practical,
no-nonsense approach to any
problem you may have, including
those you CAN'T tell anyone else.
She is mostly willing to lend an ear
but be prepared. Ms Mostly has an
unsettling knack for getting to the
heart of the problem with incisive
wit and efficient brevity. If you’re
being an ass, she’ll tell you.
If you have a problem that you can't
tell anyone email it to
info@atfortyfive.com with Help Ms
Mostly in the subject field..