8 Comments

Wow I resonated with this. My Filipino dad was eerily similar to yours. He played the lotto always, even if it erupted another financial fight with my mom, and he also liked to admire nice things.

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Not sure if your dad was an immigrant, but I do think that tendency is not uncommon within immigrant communities. Thanks for reading and commenting, Stephanie.

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Yes, he was an immigrant. I've been enjoying your stories. Thank you for sharing!

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Thank you for the compliment. I appreciate it.

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I love your writing because it's authentic and from the heart and this one is your best post yet! Reading it felt like you were taking about my dad :)

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I'm glad it resonated with you, Sophia. I really appreciate your words of encouragement.

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My dad is just like this. I chalk it up to the money he spends on lotto tickets is entertainment for him. It's a small buy-in cost for a big dream.

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I'm sure that's true for your dad, and I do think playing the lotto is usually harmless, but I also believe people vary quite a bit in their relationships with money, just as people's relationships with alcohol vary widely. I don't think it was healthy for my dad. I think he was coping. He wasn't losing his shirt over the lotto tickets, but I don't think scale is the only factor that determines unhealthy behaviors. One's motivation for doing something matters.

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