Should non parents give ang pows to those with kids
Hi,
My wife and I have been married for 10 years and we decided not to have kids. As the years went by, during Chinese New Year, my wife and I would give ang pows to our nieces and nephews.. My wife has a big family and many of her cousins have many kids ranging from 2-4 kids per cousin..
Every year as the number of kids being born in the family kept increasing and for years we kept giving ang pows.. A couple of years ago, we decided to get a dog and our dog has many medical problems and in SG, vet fees are not a joke.. We give our dog a good life coz to us he is like our kid..
However, now whenever Chinese New Year comes around, we feel like we have to spend a lot of money giving ang pows to our nieces and nephews but we don’t get anything in return.. of course we are not expecting an ang pow for our dog but for 10 years we have been giving so much ang pows and it’s gotten to the point that my wife and I no longer wants to celebrate Chinese New year with the family.. It’s not so much the money but the expectation the family has for people to give them an ang pow coz they have kids and even if I reduce what I’m giving, it’s money I could have used for my own dog or my family coz it still comes up to hundreds of dollars.. And also to add, it’s not like we are all close knit.. we hardly see each other unless there’s an occasion..
My best friends and their families actually give ang pows to those with no kids but have dogs coz they recognise that the dog is family to the couple and also has vet bills to pay.. it’s the gesture of giving and not the amount..
I feel that those without kids should not be asked to give an ang pow.. I feel those with kids should give to those who have kids..
Am I being unreasonable for feeling this way? Should I just suck it up and continue the tradition? Any advise would help..