Originally Posted by
Anna 
Your Dad lost the $1000. because of his choice, not because of anything you did. My parents used gifts as a way to control my brother and I. The gifts always came with strings. Be proud of yourself for speaking out and knowing what is the right thing for you.
My little brother is my mom's golden child and he has started refusing anything from her. He said the same thing you did "there are always strings attached". I don't know what that means because she did the opposite to me in an attempt to see me fail so I would come crawling back. She tossed me aside and it was the best thing she ever could have done for me. My little brother will never be free. He actually caught her rummaging through his dresser drawers when she thought he was using the bathroom. He was 40 years old! Mind ya business old woman.
she's also extremely impulsive like the parents in the OP. She buys things the same way this father did. She just did this to my dad when she was in one of her episodes. She got a hair up her butt and decided they needed a new car and bought it right over the internet that day. My dad got irate when the finance company asked him a few questions about his loan application.