She explains in a later post that she grew up poor, “and sometimes I feel like a foreigner in the land of the rich, and although my gut reaction was ’no’ way,’ I found myself second guessing it and worrying.”

She explains that the money isn’t an issue and that “if she was a close friend I would [help] without hesitation. However, I hardly know her. We chat at the school gate/matches etc, and we’ve had a couple of quick coffees at playdates/parties, but that’s really all.”

A survey from 2019 by financial advice company Bankrate of 2,490 adults found that: “60 percent of Americans have helped out a friend or family member by lending cash with the expectation of being paid back, while 17 percent have lent their credit card and 21 percent have co-signed for a financial product like a loan or rental.”

However, more than a third (35 percent) of people who lent in at least one of these ways were negatively impacted, resulting in lost money, a damaged credit score or a harmed relationship.

Although she feels sorry for the son, the poster expresses concerns that his mother won’t be able to pay the money back.

“The backstory that has emerged is long-term debt, home repossession, and now a redundancy, she said. “Neither parent is in a particularly well-paying type job. It’s not losing the money that’s worrying me (although that’s not great, obvs) it’s the thought of the MASSIVE awkwardness every time I see her for the next three years if she doesn’t pay it back.”

The mother concludes that it is her inclination to say that she can’t afford to lend the money, despite the fact that “it will be fairly obvious to her that I can.”

Lending money can sometimes be an awkward affair, and it can cause irreparable tension in relationships. Even if you have a strict payment plan set up, it’s possible that the other person may never pay the sum back and it’s usually advised that if you lend money, despite what it might do to your relationship with the person, you have to be 100 percent OK with not getting that money back.

The survey also found that: “Of the three situations considered, lending money was most common among survey respondents: 60 percent report having lent cash to help out a loved one. But it’s also most likely to result in a negative outcome (46 percent). After lending cash to a friend or family member, 37 percent of respondents say they lost money while 21 percent say their relationship with the borrower was harmed.”

In keeping with the survey, the majority of users in the comments advised the mother not to lend the money.

User BodenCardiganNot said: “It’s one thing If you were good friends but no chance would I do this.”

Comefromaway agreed: “No way! My golden rule is also never lend what you can’t afford to lose.”

Some users suggested that the mother speak to the school about payment options.

One said: “Don’t lend it, but you could suggest she speaks to the school bursar, there may be support available that is she not aware of.”

Another user agreed: “Decline, and suggest she talks to the bursar as a matter of some urgency to arrange for how she can pay by installments over the next 6 months. She isn’t the first and won’t be the last private school parent to have a cash flow hiccup.”

Newsweek was not able to verify the details of the story.