Grandma hands one grandchild an envelope containing $1,000 and the other gets $100, and suddenly what should have been a happy family moment feels painfully awkward. Unequal gifts to grandchildren can raise questions about favoritism, fairness, and whether parents should intervene in a grandparent’s financial choices. The answer is not automatically to demand equal checks, because there may be legitimate reasons behind the difference. But when money starts sending the message that one child matters more than another, parents have good reason to address what is happening.
