Dear Queenie,
My parents are very well-off financially-speaking and when we go out for a treat they insist on paying for everything, even though I am also quite well-off and can easily afford to pay my own way. I wouldn’t mind so much if they would let me treat them on special occasions, but even on their own birthdays they insist on picking up the check.
Queenie, I would like to give them a treat at least once at least in a while, but how can I get them to let me do it?—Not broke son
Dear Not broke,
When you want to give your parents a treat, arrange for payment in advance. For example, when planning a party at a restaurant, give your parents a gift certificate from the restaurant for a meal for however many persons the event will include, and then let your parents “pay” for the occasion with the gift certificate.
Or, if you plan to go to a certain restaurant, arrange for payment with the manager when you get there (or even at the time you make the reservations). Then when you are ready to leave and your parents want to pick up the check, the waiter/waitress or the manager can tell them it has already been taken care of and he (or she) hopes they enjoyed the meal.
However, be prepared for a possible less-than-pleasant reaction from your parents. Apparently they take great pride in being able to pay their own way and even give you a treat. Why deny them the pleasure? That too is a kind of gift.
