AITA for paying my niece 50$ for the birthday cake she made for my son's birthday?
At just sixteen, Judy’s passion for baking was more than a hobby—it was her dream, a beacon of hope amid the shadows of her family’s financial struggles.
Having been forced to drop out of cooking academy despite being at the top of her class, her heart ached with the weight of lost opportunity.
Yet, her spirit remained unbroken as she courageously began selling her creations online, fighting to reclaim her future one cake at a time.
But the very people who should have supported her—her parents—saw her dream as a distraction, demanding she give away her talent for free, draining her hope and resources.
When a simple request to pay for a birthday cake ignited a family battle over respect and survival, Judy’s quiet determination became a testament to the resilience of dreams under pressure, and the painful cost of fighting for one’s rightful place.
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The original poster (OP) faced a conflict where they supported their niece's ambition to pay for culinary school by offering payment for a service, directly contradicting the wishes of the niece's parents who insisted on free labor based on family obligation.
This action led to the niece being punished and the OP facing unanimous disapproval from extended family members who prioritized the parents' authority and the notion of free family favors.
Does the preservation of a child's educational aspirations and fair compensation for work outweigh the parents' stated desire for free services based on familial relationship, especially when payment was offered privately to circumvent parental disapproval?
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