There is something about relatives having a baby or getting married that seems to throw common sense and basic fairness straight out the window. What would normally be considered audacious or entitled behavior suddenly becomes acceptable just because someone is expanding their family or popping a cork out of a bottle. The moment a family member achieves one of these milestones, an unspoken expectation arises that everyone else must empty their wallets to ensure the event is as over-the-top as possible. 

Somehow, single or child-free relatives are always the ones targeted for this financial drain. Their savings are treated as community property, and any dreams or goals they might have are brushed aside as insignificant. Building a future or saving for an apartment is secondary when there are ceremonious outfits, unnecessary luxuries, or extravagant parties to fund. If they dare to say no, they are labeled selfish and ungrateful, as if maintaining their own financial stability is a personal insult to the rest of the family. 

One sibling found themselves in the thick of this type of shared delusion when their sister’s pregnancy became an endless money grab.