Woman Accepting $4k for Spending Time With Grandpa Backed: 'Prize Money'

A woman has shared the reason why she accepted $4,000 after spending time with her grandparent in a viral social media post.

The woman, who goes by u/Wild_Stick_ on Reddit, wrote that she had accepted the hefty prize fund after "winning" a game that she didn't even know they had been playing. The 21-year-old continued that she'd only focused on enjoying her time with her 80-year-old grandfather, and that the controversial cash has since caused rifts in the family who now feel the man is playing favorites.

She'd called upon Redditors to decide whether she's in the wrong for "accepting the prize money" for a "game she didn't know [she] was playing".

"So I went to my grandad's house last week and he handed me a jar full of cash with my name on it. He told me to count it and it came to £3,200 ($4,000). I asked him what it was for and he explained the rules of the game he'd been playing with the whole family," the woman opened up online.

"From the December 1 to December 31 every time a member of the family visited him, he'd put £100 in their jar for every hour they spent with him. At the end of the month, the person who spent the most time with him would receive all of the money in their jar, and the others would get nothing."

"He obviously didn't tell anybody that he was doing this so that no one spent extra time with him to get the money," she continued.

The woman went on to write that she "won" her grandfather's game by £600, which made for six hours more than her uncle who came second. She shared that her family are disgruntled by the dealings.

"Pretty much my whole family is mad at my grandad for doing this, but also me for accepting the money. He is an old man and he's not exactly a millionaire, so they think that I should have refused the money and confronted him for what he did," she explained.

Although the woman shared that she was stunned by the money, financial adviser Michael McAlpin feels that the elderly man's "game" could stem from loneliness.

"Perhaps he wants to foster family time without appearing forceful," McAlpin told Newsweek.

"The amount of money gifted suggests that he can afford this, though it's crucial to consider future financial strain. Accepting the money fuels accusations of exploiting your grandfather's game, while refusing the money might appease the family but strain the woman's relationship with him. Finding a middle ground to address family's grievances and mend relationships without further conflict," he added.

What Do the Comments Say?

Since it had been shared to the social media platform by u/Wild_Stick_5998, the Reddit post has been upvoted by 97 percent of users and commented on more than 1,500 times. The majority of the Redditors engaging with the post cheered on the woman for accepting the controversial prize money, but have advised her to spend it wisely.

One user wrote: "And if you feel bad about receiving this money, might I suggest you spend it on experiences for you and your granddad to share?"

"Take him on a trip. He obviously values family and they have been letting him down," another user added.

The Reddit post can be seen here.

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