My mom found my debt tracker notebook and the look on her face broke me

I was at her place in Phoenix last Sunday, and my notebook fell out of my bag. It had a page where I'd written 'CC: $11,200' and a breakdown of minimum payments. She just handed it back and said, 'You're drowning, aren't you?' in this quiet voice. I had to admit I've been using one card to pay another for about 4 months. We ended up talking for two hours, which we never do about money. It was awful but also a relief. Has anyone else had a parent find out about money trouble this way, and how did you handle the shame?

3 comments

3 Comments

james_kim26d agoMost Upvoted

Ngl, shame is the wrong word for it. Sounds like she actually helped you by seeing it.

the_holly26d ago

I get where you're coming from, james_kim, but I have to disagree. Last year my roommate saw a huge mistake in my budget spreadsheet. She pointed it out in front of our whole group chat. That felt like pure shame, even if her info was right. Being corrected publicly can really hurt, even if the person means well. The help gets lost in the embarrassment. So I still think shame is the right word for that feeling.

reesel9219d ago

My buddy got called out for a math error at trivia night.