The Price of Entitlement
When I refused to buy my son a $70,000 high school graduation gift, he developed an intense hatred for me.
Standing on the rooftop with tears welling in his eyes, Julian leveled his accusation. "After years of enduring poverty with you, all I wanted was a gift to celebrate graduating!"
His live stream attracted thousands of viewers, generating a massive amount of revenue for him. Yet, I was the one who paid the ultimate price. I was fatally assaulted by my long-absent ex-husband, who proclaimed as I lay dying that he was exacting revenge for our son.
"Mom, what gift are you getting me for graduation? All my classmates are getting something. Am I supposed to be the only one left empty-handed, humiliated in front of everyone?"
I stared in shock at my son's impatient face, slowly regaining my awareness. I had been reborn. I was transported back to the day before his final exams.
Seeing my silence, Julian issued his ultimatum. "If I don't get a gift I actually like, I'm not taking the exams tomorrow."
He had uttered those exact words in my previous life. Gazing at the defiant teenager before me, a chill ran through my heart.
When I divorced Marcus Thorne, his financial stability was the deciding factor that made Julian choose to live with him. Marcus remarried swiftly, but when his business began to crumble, he unloaded Julian back onto me like unwanted luggage.
Under the influence of that family's toxic habits, Julian returned to me a complete stranger—rebellious and brimming with entitlement. He constantly complained that our house was too cramped, the food was unappetizing, and his allowance was pathetic.
He was always comparing himself to his peers. "My friends are vacationing in Europe. Why am I stuck with local trips?"
"Why do I have to attend these ridiculous tutoring classes? My friends are heading to college abroad after graduation. Why do I have to slave away for a local university?"
"Don't have kids if you're poor. If you can't provide anything, don't expect good grades from me."
He endlessly griped about our modest finances, constantly reminiscing about the lavish life he'd had with his dad, yet he never put a shred of effort into his studies. I worked tirelessly day in and day out, trying to make him understand our reality. My income was decent for our small city, but between mortgage payments, tutoring fees, and saving for his future, there was very little left for luxuries.
Marcus had disappeared after abandoning Julian, never paying a single cent in child support.
In my previous life, I poured all my energy into trying to correct my son's materialistic tendencies. But his threat to skip the exams had gripped me with fear. Terrified of his impulsiveness, I had tried to negotiate.
"I need to save for your future, so I can't afford expensive gifts right now," I had told him. "But within reason, I'll get you something. After the exams, we'll pick it out together, okay?"
He had smirked dismissively. "I've already made my choice. Since you've agreed in principle, I'll tell you after the exams."
Once the exams were over, he sent me a lengthy wish list: a full suite of Nova products, an extravagant travel package, and designer clothes. The total amounted to $70,000.
Stunned, I suggested that we prioritize the essentials. He seemed to sense that my willingness to negotiate gave him the upper hand.
That night, he climbed up to the rooftop, making sure to alert the firefighters and the media for a live-streamed suicide attempt.
He shouted to the cameras, "Don't have kids if you're broke! Do you know how pathetic it is to live like this?"
"You promised, and then you went back on your word. How can someone like you even be a parent?"
It was more than an accusation; it was a harsh public verdict. I begged him hysterically to come down, my heart sinking into a pit of icy despair.
The firefighters managed to rescue him just in time, averting a tragedy. The crowd gradually dispersed after some persuasion, but the video of his live stream went viral. Netizens echoed Julian's cries, and the phrase "don't have kids if you're poor" shot to the top of the trending list.