Conflict

Family Feud

This is an interpersonal conflict (an expressed struggle between interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scarce resources, and interference 375.) that I was not directly involved in. But this is a conflict that I witnesses first hand, between two sisters (one of which is my mother) and a mother. The scarce resource in this conflict is about power and money.

My grandma has always been very active and healthy. Always walking and swimming several miles a day, even at the age of seventy five she was able to keep up with me when we climbed Pikes Peak in Colorado. But about two years ago she was in a head on collision, breaking several bones and causing saver head trauma. The doctors didn’t think she would live, but being the tough woman that she is was able after three months to leave the hospital. But the accident had made it so she was no longer able to live on her, so decided to live with my aunt and uncle in Oregon. One important fact that I haven’t told you yet is my grandma’s father owned a company that built the battle ships for the Navy. Being an only child and the sole heir to the inheritance she is now very wealthy.

Things seemed to be working out just fine, but money has a way of corrupting good people. My aunt being a “care giver” had full access to all my grandma’s bank accounts to pay for hospital and therapy bills. The temptation was too great for her to resist. It stared out with paying for little bills here and there, but soon buying a new car, pure bread racing horses, paying for boarding and training for these horses, and taking them to horse shows all over the US, all with her mothers money.

This went unnoticed for about two year till my mom went for a visit, well talking to my aunt about her horses my mom found out that she had over 20 horses, 15 of which were being boarded. The bills to pay for feed, boarding, training, and vet visits of 20 horses would be anywhere from 15,000 to 30,000 a month. My mom wanting to...