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Hey buddies, greetings once again.
Will you be comfortable lending huge sums of money to a family member???
Growing up among siblings is very interesting. You are so much together. You got each other's back no matter what. The fact that we have blood connection makes us more vulnerable to each other. There exists some strong bond between us. This can make us act without even thinking twice because we feel that urge to assist each other.
I remember way back, like in the year 2018. I got a call from one of my siblings(sisters). We spoke for a while and during the course of our conversation, she promoted me on how difficult it is at her end. She was planning on running a business - a fast food joint, let's just say a restaurant. Indeed she is a good cook and I can testify to that.I have enjoyed her delicacy several times and I must confess, it is finger leaking gooood!!!!. Lol. So I was expecting something extra-ordinary from her. I had no doubt it was a good idea and will be a profitable venture to embark on and I was willing to be a part of this success story. I hope that rings a bell? Yes, I decided to support her. By then I was just a young guy, yes very young but I was working in one big company within Tema-Accra Ghana.
I had saved some money by then, so I quickly reached out for it and gave it out to her as a way of lending. It was an agreement and I was expecting something back in return. Not only did she not return the money but also didn't check up on me as usual. She did open a food joint later, I know probably she might have gotten additional support from elsewhere to help her set up such a large business.
It was interesting how things had been so messy for me afterwards. Well, it's not her fault, she thought I was working in a very big company so there was no need for her to give me back the money. Also, she is my elder sister, she had provided some little support for me before so she sees this as a pay back or something like that, just guessing though. But I could be right, it makes sense, doesn't it?
I think I also made a mistake. Maybe I should have allowed her to beg for something before giving it to her. Instead, I quickly initiated the money. I was even the one who brought up the idea of lending the money to her just because of how close she was to me. It ended in tragedy, not totally that but I can say I got nothing in return. This money was my life savings and I believe it would have made something good out of me. I could have used it to buy Bitcoin by then and it would have been worth a lot by now. So I had to start from square zero.
It was a year or two when I got admission into the tertiary level of education. I am currently in university and doing my best just to stay up on track. It doesn't bother me much because I have the support I need and it's okay with me. Just that, these things make me wonder if I would ever try such a thing again. I have lost some kind of trust for everyone and am very reluctant to give financial aid to my own family members or relatives.
This is some of the cons that comes with this type of behavior, others get affected for an act you put up. Now we have lost that very nice relationship because I can not question her about it and I do not feel that free around her again as much as I used to. We do not communicate as well as we used to.
For me, I have learnt a lesson out of this. Lending or borrowing huge sums of money to a relative is not a bad gain at all. In fact it is very advisable to give when it is within our means. We should just have it in mind that the money might not be returned again. If possible put in measures to prevent this if indeed you will need the money urgently for something in the near future.
One thing we should also consider is the fact that it might disturb the relationship between you two, three or four or whatever number. But it is just best to give it freely. Give it out with the mindset of not receiving it back. That way, you don't see it as if someone owns you anything. That way you can also live in a very healthy relationship with them afterwards. If it is returned too, fine, then that will be like a surprise to you.
Remember family is all we got, friends will come and go but family will always be family. Yes I have brothers who are more than a family to me although they just came into my life from nowhere but it's like they are God sent. That is what a family is about. We should not allow something material to separate the bond between us and all of this depends on how we treat each other and matters around us.
Lending money to our relatives coms with some pros too. It makes them feel less burdened and frightened by the knowledge of debt from Banks and other lending services. Also there are no extra chargers as in the form of huge interest to burden them the more. This makes lending money to family members more flexible and welcoming.
Feel free to lend to your relative but with caution just as you will borrow to a stranger. Let's not create atmospheres that will generate into something abysmal and cause conflict and break good relationships.
This is where I draw the curtains. Feel free to share your thoughts and life experience with us in the comment section.
Thank You.
