Woman Gives Her Late Husband's Estate to a Kind Waitress Instead of Her Bratty Step-Kids

What we're about to tell you sounds like it came straight out of a drama film, but according to a woman in the wildly popular "Am I the A------" (AITA) subreddit, it's a very real thing she experienced. The 55-year-old mother took to the forum to explain her family drama — and let's just say she did something that her step-kids will never forget.

The original poster, who goes by the handle u/Positive-Purple-487, said that she gave her late husband's estate to a stranger instead of their kids. OK, we know this sounds bad, but keep scrolling for the whole story.

Plus, stick around to hear what social media has to say about the situation.

The OP revealed that she and her husband were married for 20 years before he sadly passed away after a battle with cancer. She noted that they didn't have any kids together, as he had two kids from a previous marriage, and she had a daughter from an earlier relationship as well.

Although the OP tried her best to make her step-kids feel like her own, they never accepted her. The OP said they were "very rude" and insulted her any chance they could. She added that since she didn't work, her step-kids boldly claimed she was a "gold digger who married their dad only for his money."

However, the OP was financially comfortable — but she didn't bother sharing this with her step-kids and told her now-late husband not to either. She didn't want her step-kids to like her just because they might "gain monetarily" from her.

The OP's husband was disgusted with his children's behavior toward her, so much so that he didn't pay a cent of their college tuition. They stopped talking to their dad, and when he got cancer, they didn't even make the time to go see him — but someone else did.

The only person who "really helped" the OP and her husband during that difficult time was a 20-something waitress at a cafe they frequented. She was a single mom who immediately "took a liking" to the couple. When she found out that the OP's husband was sick, she made time to visit him and even stayed overnight when the OP needed a break.

When the OP's husband died, the waitress was the only one who helped the OP arrange the funeral.

His kids showed up for the service, but they were only interested in their inheritance. The OP "felt sick," and when she learned that her husband left his estate to her — around $25,000 — she decided to give it to the waitress. She refused to accept it, but the OP insisted she take it because she "deserved it more than the ungrateful children."

The OP's daughter understood why she didn't give the estate to his two bratty kids — but she was also upset because she didn't get anything. The OP told her it wasn't her money, pointing out that she already had money and a job. Plus, when the OP dies, her daughter will inherit everything.

In the end, the OP disclosed that her late husband's ex-wife and kids were "really upset" with her, calling her an a------ for giving the "money they deserve" to a stranger.

The now-viral post received over 4,700 comments from Redditors who agreed the OP is not the a------.

They don't deserve the money. They want the money. There is a difference," one user said.

The user continued, "Taking the money won't fix the damage they caused. His adult children made choices in life, but now that he's gone... they are demanding money. I would look at them and say, 'Aren't you quite the gold diggers? You know your dad never funded things for me. I was wealthy on my own. That's why I didn't work. I didn't need the money.'"

A second Redditor wrote, "$25K might make all the difference to a single mom working a waitressing job, but it's not going to change the life of already well-off kids, particularly split all those ways."

"An inheritance is only ever a gift. It's not to be expected, and it is not 'deserved,'" another person commented. "Had your husband died deeply in debt — would his kids have come forward to help pay it? No. Regardless of what they or anyone else thinks — you did a beautiful thing for someone who truly was more needful and 'deserving.'"

Someone else replied, "NTA, he had the children before he married you. If he'd wanted them to get the money, they would've been in the will. I'm sorry for your loss, but rest assured that you did a really kind thing, and your husband likely wouldn't have wanted it any other way."

What do you think? Should the OP have given her step-kids the estate? Let us know!