Reddit Stories - The LEGACY of Envy_ From CHILDHOOD INADEQUACY to Lavish Gifts_

Episode Date: October 22, 2025

#redditstories #askreddit #aita #legacy #envy #childhood #inadequacy #lavishgiftsSummary: Dive into the legacy of Envy_, exploring the journey from childhood inadequacy to receiving lavish gifts. Discover how envy can shape one's life and relationships, leading to unexpected outcomes.Tags: redditstories, askreddit, reddit, aita, tifu, envy, childhood, inadequacy, lavish gifts, legacy, envy legacy, envy journey, envy story, personal growth, self-reflection, psychological, envy issues, envy impact, envy development, envy explorationBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/reddit-stories--6237355/support.

I hope you enjoy this story. Wealthy guardians consistently made me feel inadequate during my formative years. Later, they showered my child with presents valued at $50,000, along with a message indicating their imminent visit. My boy. Well, as the title suggests, I 27F have always had a tumultuous relationship with my parents. It was not easy growing up around them. You see, both of my parents were overachievers.

They competed to be the topper through their high school and got into the same university. Not knowing anybody there, they stuck close to each other, and over the next few months, it translated into something more. Both of them are extremely talented and clearly geniuses. They have high-paying jobs and we have quite a comfortable life. The only thing that they both failed at was being apparent to me. I was the result of an accidental pregnancy. My mother has since told me from time to time how she and my dad both didn't want any children

but after going for their first ultrasound and hearing my heartbeat, they just couldn't give me up. They also have religious parents who would have probably had a fit had they not continued with the pregnancy. As a result, nine months later, I was born. Now my parents, being both over-achievers, had their first fight about who would be staying at home. Ultimately, it was decided that since my mother had sacrificed enough while she was, you know, she was pregnant and earned more than my dad she would be the one working while my dad would take

care of me at least until I was old enough to be taken care of by a babysitter. As a child, I remember my parents would make me go through insane tests to judge whether or not I was a genius. I have heard from my grandparents that my parents would only allow me to play with blocks or card games. I was not allowed to paint as they didn't want me to develop an affinity to become a painter as an adult. I was also not allowed to watch TV like any other normal child. They would let me play with the piano in the hopes that one day with proper training I could sit down and master it. Everything that I did or ate was also closely monitored by them. I was not allowed to eat any junk or whatsoever. I remember going to birthday parties and not being allowed to eat cake or any junk

since my parents would have notified the host regarding this. As you can already guess, my childhood was pretty horrible. I would watch everyone else have a normal childhood while I was treated like a science project in the hopes that I would one day turn out to be a genius. The only happy times I remember were when I spent my weekends with my grandparents. I was lucky enough to have both sets of grandparents who would spoil me silly and they didn't care about my parents' so-called rules. I would sometimes watch old black and white movies with my grandfather when I was with him which I absolutely loved. I guess it's true when they say that the stricter the parent is the sneakier the child becomes. Despite their efforts to control every aspect of my life,

I developed a rebellious streak, fueled by a desire for normalcy and the freedom to make my own choices. As I started to get older, like any other teenager, I realized that I could do anything that I wanted as long as I didn't get caught by my parents. So I would sneak out to go to parties try out makeup in our girls' washroom or take up pottery classes in school as a form of rebellion which were everything that my parents would not have allowed me to do had they known. Of course, sometimes I was caught doing these things and they would then give me a lecture about how I needed to buckle up and concentrate on math and science as they wanted me to have a career revolving around these subjects. One particular day, while I was out doing pottery, a cute guy from

my class asked me out. I was quite taken aback since being a geek who was hardly allowed to make a lot of friends. I never thought I had any qualities that other girls of my age had so being asked out was a big deal. He was cute and we had a fun time on the date, but when he came to drop me off, my parents saw us while we were about to kiss. They looked pissed off, to say the least. That night, they let me know how disappointed they were by seeing me waste my time around a boy and how I needed to buckle up and concentrate on my studies. My mother told me how she didn't waste months of her life so that I could go around and be a school slut. I had tears in my eyes hearing her harsh words. My dad joined her and said how I was too young to go out with boys and that the

only thing that I should be doing at this age was reading my books. I tried to protest and say how everyone in my class went out and dated while also maintaining good grades which I could do also but my parents were not having it. They told me how they already regretted having me and the only thing that they wanted was to see me achieve great things in my life like they had. It was frustrating to hear my own parents talk about me as if I was some sort of a pet to them and had no life of my own. They told me to go to bed without any food that night so that I could think about what I had done wrong. I was so conditioned to listen to them that I never even thought how traumatizing these incidents were. As if things couldn't be worse, that night, I accidentally

heard my parents talking about me in the dining room. This is when I found the real reason why they hated me so much. I stood frozen in shock as my parents discussed how they regretted having me and my dad wished that they would have had a son instead of a daughter because at least then they would have had something to be proud about. My heart sank hearing for the first time how much they really hated me. I remember going to bed feeling absolutely numb. Since that day, I never did anything that my parents didn't like. To be honest, at that time, maybe I was trying to get back into the good books of my parents and hoping that one day they would love me and be proud of me but that day never came.

They never cheered for me during graduation and refused to allow me to go to our graduation party saying how it was a waste of time and that this is where girls end up pregnant. When it came time for college, I had already gotten into a reputed university in our state with a full scholarship and they were extremely proud of it. My dad, who had a degree in the same field, wanted me to spend my months leading up to college, by meeting his peers and hopefully doing an internship so that I would be better prepared than my peers. Looking back, I can see how extremely crazy and controlling they were and I wish I could have stood up to them but at that time, I really believed that they knew what was best for me and I didn't

want to disappoint them further. As you can expect, college was hell. Although I liked studying biology during college, I realized that I never wanted to pursue a degree in this. No matter how much time I spent in the library cramping the syllabus, I hated this subject more and more. During my second year, I fell into depression since I knew that I could never talk to my parents about this and my grades were suffering. It was during this time, when I was at the lowest point of my life that I met Gerald, who would later become my husband. He is the funniest, carefree person I have ever met in my life, and spending time with him always makes me feel light. Unlike my parents, Gerald came from a warm and supportive family. His parents were the antithesis of mine,

loving, caring, and understanding. They embraced me into their family, providing the warmth and acceptance I had craved for so long. Looking back, I can see how Gerald came at exactly the right time in my life. He taught me to not take life so seriously all the time and has always made me laugh. When I finally opened up to him about my life and my parents, he was shocked, He was the first person who pointed out how abusive it was for my parents to not let me have my own identity or have any friends. Spending time with him more and more made me feel like I finally woke up from a long slumber and was finally able to see things clearly.

I started to realize how I had lived all my life trying to please my parents by doing everything that they wanted when in reality I should have stopped and thought about if it pleased me also. Because my grades were suffering during this time, my parents decided to meet up with me. As usual, without even asking about how I was doing or whether or not I was well. They launched into a lecture about how disappointed they were to see my grades and how they were embarrassed that their friends and family might find out that their daughter was securing such poor marks. I scoffed hearing how ridiculously self-obsessed they were.

They had the audacity to worry about others when I was clearly not doing okay. This is when I finally stood up to my parents and told them how much I hated studying biology and I had been thinking about changing my degree to psychology. They freaked out and told me how they could not allow me to waste away my life by choosing such a demeaning degree. To them, pursuing a degree in psychology was equivalent to being a failure in life. However, I told them that I was an adult now and I was going to study something that made me happy rather than study biology and be depressed for life.

We had a huge fight and in the end, I had to involve my grandparents as my parents started threatening me saying how they would make my life hell and they would never see my face again. My grandparents stood by me and warned my parents to not pressure me into doing something that I didn't want to do. They threatened my parents saying that if they cut me out of their lives then they would do the same with them. It was a long fight but ultimately I was able to change my degree. It was liberating for me to finally study something I was passionate about. This is when I was finally able to enjoy my college. I was able to wake up in the mornings without feeling anxious or eat my food without worrying about my future. I would spend my mornings at class or working hard at the library and my evenings with Gerald

exploring the city and having a good time with him. After dating him for two years, I thought it would be a good time to introduce him to my parents since his parents already knew about us. When my parents met Gerald, they immediately had a problem just like I had already anticipated. They hardly interacted with him and kept quiet, throughout dinner. After he left, they immediately told me how I needed to stay far away from men like him since he came from a lowly background and was pursuing a degree in arts which they absolutely hated. They even went as far as to tell me that he was probably with me because he

wanted his hands on their money in the future and they wanted me to break it off. I found their reasoning absolutely ridiculous and preposterous since Gerald and I had been dating for a long time and he had never asked me anything regarding my parents' assets. The only thing he knew about my parents was from what I had told him about my childhood. He clearly loved me as much as I loved him and it was sad that my parents couldn't see the love between us. My grandparents, on the other hand, had a completely opposite reaction when they met Gerald for the first time. They were so happy to meet him and couldn't stop gushing about how well-mannered and respectful he was. As much as my parents hated and protested about it, I went on to marry Gerald after we both

had graduated from college and had our own jobs. Marrying Gerald has been the best decision of my life because no one has ever taken care of me the way he does. I remember when I used to live with my parents, I never felt at home with them since they were always so cold to me but after marrying Gerald, we had been able to build this home for ourselves in another state thousands of miles away from my parents, where I feel warm, fuzzy and comfortable. Fast forward a year later and I got pregnant. I had been traumatized by my parents and my childhood as they never wanted me to begin with so I was a afraid at first to tell Gerald that we were pregnant in case he would react like my parents but to my

shock. Gerald was over the moon after hearing the news. He hugged me and said how excited he was to become a parent. His reaction was totally different from what I had expected, and it made me feel so much better about starting our little family. His happy reaction made me reflect on my own upbringing. I realized that I wanted something different from my child, a loving and nurturing environment, free from the suffocating expectations and tests my parents had subjected me to. Once when we went for my gyno appointment during my pregnancy expecting the usual checkup, the doctors shared an unexpected news with us, we were going to have twins. I couldn't believe it at first. The ultrasound screen showed two tiny heartbeats,

and I remember looking at Gerald with a mix of shock and excitement. Twins. It meant double the joy, but it also meant preparing for a bigger family than we initially thought. As reality sunk in, Gerald and I started adjusting our plans. We needed to make space for two cribs in the nursery and buy double the baby clothes and diapers. It was both overwhelming and thrilling to think about raising two little ones at the same time. Throughout the pregnancy, we attended prenatal classes, read parenting books together, and even turned a room in our home into a cute nursery for our babies. Gerald's excitement made me feel more and more sure that we could do this whole parenting thing together.

During my pregnancy, my parents also showed some interest in our impending parenthood. Surprisingly, they told me how excited they were to meet my children, however, my guard was up, and I couldn't help but wonder about their sudden change in behavior. When it was time to reveal the gender of our babies, Gerald's parents set up a small celebration with all our close family and friends. My parents had flown in to be there for the celebration and were staying at a hotel nearby. The atmosphere was buzzing with anticipation as everyone gathered to learn the genders of our twins. The moment arrived and Gerald's mother handed us two sealed envelopes containing the gender details

since she had talked with our doctor and already knew the news to prepare everything for us. As we opened the envelopes, excitement filled the room as we saw each had a card inside a pink card for our baby daughter and a blue car for our baby son. Our eyes widened in shock as we realized that we were having both a son and a daughter. The joyous cheers echoed as everyone ecstatically hugged us. Gerald's parents were brimming with pride, my grandparents were thrilled, and our friends congratulated us warmly. However, amid the celebration, I noticed something odd, my parents' faces fell in disappointment. While everyone else was hugging us and expressing their happiness, my parents remained

quiet and distant. They didn't come forward to congratulate us, and their lack of enthusiasm stood out in the room. After the celebration, I couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling caused by my parents' strange behavior. I decided to confront them, seeking an explanation for their unexpected reaction. We sat down, and I asked them directly why they seemed distant during such a joyous occasion. Their response caught me off guard. They confessed that they were disappointed with the gender reveal. According to them, they had hoped both my children would be boys. I was taken aback by their absurd thinking and couldn't believe that they would express

such disappointment about the genders of their own grandchildren. Suddenly I remembered the conversation between my parents that I had overheard about how they had always wanted a son. It was then that I realized that they had not changed much over the years. I don't know whether it was my pregnancy hormones or my instinct kicking in as a mother, but I was extremely pissed that they dared to think like that about my unborn daughter. I started to yell at them loudly to get out immediately. My mother retorted back saying how I should behave more laid alike,

but I did not care about her opinions anymore and almost shoved them out of my house. Gerald came running to be by my side clearly concerned. I told my parents that clearly they had hated the fact that I was born so now they wouldn't have the pleasure of ever knowing their grandchildren because I didn't want their sexist attitude polluting the minds of my babies. I shut the door to their stunned faces. Over the months, they tried to backtrack and send a half-hearted apology but I remained firm about my decision.

When their lame apologies didn't work, they tried to manipulate me by making me feel guilty saying how as grandparents they needed to be in our children's lives but I refused to yield. Gerald has had my back throughout this and even he doesn't want our children to be anywhere near my parents. I just gave birth last week and it has been a surreal experience, to say the least. I think I have never been happier than the moment I held my two babies for the first time. Gerald was by my side throughout the birthing process and has been an incredibly understanding partner. His mother has been staying with us to help me out with the babies since,

unfortunately, Gerald couldn't get more days as leaves at his office. Yesterday morning, out of nowhere, I received a package in the mail. Inside were extravagant gifts, each with a hefty price tag. Accompanying the gifts was a note that read. flying to see you soon, my boy, your grandparents. I stared at the note in confusion and looked around at the gifts, suddenly realizing that all the gifts were meant for my son only. It was clear that somehow my parents, despite our last fight, were delusional enough to think that I would allow them to have a part in my son's life when they couldn't even bother to wish my daughter or me as a

mother. Taking a deep breath, I composed a thoughtful but firm message to send to them on the phone. I straightaway made it very clear that their presence in our lives was not welcome anymore and that they would get to see their grandchildren. I warned them that if they showed up on our doorstep then I would be calling the police on them. I knew it would ignite a storm, and it did. My parents responded with a barrage of messages and calls, accusing me of being ungrateful and stubborn. I have ignored their calls and left their messages on red.

According to them, I am trying to be controlling by not allowing them to have a relationship with my son when clearly they have all rights as a grandparent. I don't think I can allow them to disrespect my daughter like that, hence I don't want their presence in our lives and believe cutting them off is the right decision. I'd offer cutting off my parents from our lives after what they have put us through. Update 1, wow, I did not expect so many comments in a matter of a few hours. I am glad to see a majority of you agree that what my parents have done cannot be forgiven.

I quite agree since I don't want my daughter to grow up to see that. favor my son over them. I don't want her to have the same trauma or self-esteem issue that I have as a result of my parents' toxic upbringing. It boggles my mind how my parents can be so educated yet have such predated opinions. They made my life a living hell while growing up and I know if I continue to allow them in our lives, they might impose their beliefs on my children and I don't want that. Fortunately, Gerald, his parents and my grandparents have been there for me during this time. My grandparents are furious that my parents are favoring my son over my daughter and have made it clear to me that they supported my decision to cut them out of our lives.

They have also talked with our parents but I don't know how well that has gone. Gerald and I have come to the conclusion that I should send the gifts back to my parents so as to send a clear message to them that we don't need anything from them. I agree and will be sending back the gifts tomorrow. Update 2, after I sent back the gifts to my parents, they kept calling and texting me insisting that we needed to meet. So, this weekend, I asked them to fly out here so we could talk for the last time face to I had invited them out for lunch at a nearby restaurant. When my parents arrived, my mother, without even listening to me, started going on a rant about how I had no right to keep them away from their grandchildren. I told them straight up how

as the parents, I had every right to keep them away from whoever I deemed was toxic and they could go and cry to the walls if they wanted to. My dad tried to just to just. My dad tried to just to just. justify saying how my mother didn't mean that and that they just wanted to see their grandson. I scoffed hearing this and asked them straight up why they kept on mentioning my son when I had a daughter as well. I told them how I had already told them that I didn't like how they favored sons over daughters and that I didn't want that for my daughter. My parents hearing this said how I should be more forgiving towards them since they are still learning and that if I wanted them to meet my daughter, then most definitely they wouldn't mind. It infuriated me how

casually sexist they were behaving and the conversation got pretty heated after this. I made it clear that their biased attitude was not acceptable, especially when it came to my children. I explained that I didn't want their negativity around us and that I didn't want them anywhere near my children for the rest of their lives. My parents started screaming about how they could go to the courts over it and I told them that they were welcome to do so since it would give me an opportunity to recount my childhood stories where they had abused me and gotten away with it. My parents stared at me and in horror as I continued to say how I would not just stop there and would then continue to tell our entire family about what my parents had done to me. I knew their reputation was extremely important

to them, so they were at a loss of words hearing my threat knowing that I wasn't messing around. There were several minutes of arguing back, but ultimately I told them firmly that I couldn't have them in our lives anymore and they could crib about it as much as they could since my decision was never going to change. I walked away from them that day with the satisfaction that my children could never be traumatized by them the way that I was while growing up. It hasn't been an easy decision, but I had to prioritize the well-being of my family. Gerald has been a huge support throughout this. We have blocked them so they have no way to reach out to us. It is a challenging situation for me to permanently cut off my parents, but I'm

holding my ground for the sake of my kids. I appreciate all the support I have received from this community during this tough time. Update 3. Several months have passed since I sent back the gifts and made it clear to my parents that they were no longer welcome in our lives. Thanks to a lot of comments about my parents possibly going to court over not being allowed in our children's lives. Gerald and I decided to consult with a family lawyer to explore legal options and we were assured that there was no way that their claim would hold any ground since I have thousands of text messages of how abusive my parents are towards me. We feel assured now that they can't do anything to us now. On a positive note, we've been

enjoying the time with our twins and creating beautiful memories as a family. My daughter and son are thriving and we are slowly learning how to manage twins. We visit my grandparents whenever we can or video call them so they can spend time with our children. The support from Gerald's parents has been invaluable during this time. They babysit our children whenever I and Gerald need to spend some time together or if I am too exhausted. Our little family unit is strong and we're determined to shield our children from the negativity that affected my own upbringing. I appreciate the ongoing support from everyone. It reinforces my belief that prioritizing the well-being of my children is the most important

responsibility I have as a parent.