Was talking to my buddy the other day about his dad leaving him something in their will. What started out as a light, joking conversation turned into something serious and melancholic.
First off... Joyce and I don't ever have to worry about fighting for inheritance, we think. Our folks simply aren't rich enough to leave us anything. Maybe if it was big.... like a family house... or land.... or some family heirloom.
But for families that have some riches to divvy up... I can see how this can be a touchy subject. A house may seem like a piece of property or assest to one sibling, but it could mean years and years of memories to another sibling. Can you really leave the house to both siblings 50/50?
How about the fact that one sibling takes care of the aging parent day in and day out. While the other sibling is out of the state or out of the country. Does one sibling earn the right to have more inheritance than the other?
How about the traditional eldest in the family? Is there some stature or taboo that hovers self-proclaimed post-modernistic families?
My buddy even goes so far to say that he wouldn't care about what's left behind. All he'd really care about is the fact the parents/grandparents are gone. I countered by saying... that might be true for the first few weeks or even months. But as time goes by... that feeling will probably (not guaranteed) wear off. And the focus will be on more materialistic things that are still here. He admits that could be the case. I don't think we walked away agreeing or disagreeing... it's just a touchy subject.
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