'I won lottery but won't share with family – they've made me feel awful'

A woman has been praised for refusing to share her lottery jackpot with her siblings - despite winning enough for all to enjoy.

The 34-year-old explained how she bought a lottery ticket on a whim - saying this was rather out of character for her.

Much to her amazement, she won the jackpot. While she didn't win "hundreds of millions", she says it's enough to make a positive difference in her life.

She said on Reddit: "I was ecstatic. The first thing I did was call my mum. She was excited at first, but then like a minute later, she started saying, 'So, are you going to share it with the family?' Like, before I’d even processed the news myself."

She went on to explain how she has a brother and sister - but neither of them came to her aid when she needed help with her autistic son. She added: "My brother and sister have always kinda been distant. When I had my son (he's autistic and needs a lot of support), it was pretty much just me on my own. They didn't offer help, didn't check in much, and it hurt, honestly.

"I love them, but I've had to go through so much alone. My mum, too I mean, she was supportive in her way, but she was never really there in the ways I needed her."

So, she told her mum she wasn't planning on sharing her winnings with anyone - instead wanting to spend it on her son's future and paying off bills and debts. However, her mum didn't take too kindly to this news.

Wanting to know whether she's in the wrong for keeping the money to herself, she added: "She got really quiet, then goes, 'Well, that’s really disappointing.' That hit hard. Since then, my siblings have been calling me selfish and saying I’ve let 'money go to my head,' and even my mum has hinted that I’m being greedy. She actually told me that my son 'needs a strong family around him' and that I’m ruining that with my attitude.

"I feel awful now, second-guessing myself. Like, maybe I’m being too harsh? But I also can’t ignore that they weren’t there when I needed them. And it’s not like I’m blowing the money I’m planning on setting it up so that my son’s cared for, because he might always need extra help, and honestly, it’s always just been us."

Commenting on her post, one user said: "Take good care of you and your son and enjoy it! Your parents and siblings should be happy for you and your sons instead of being jealous! Also, take care as you have money and know you will make a lot of new friends! You know what I mean."

Another user added: "This is exactly why you never tell people you won the lottery. You get with a financial professional and lock down taxes and savings and investments etc.

"The second someone finds out you won the lottery, that's found money to them and they have no problem coming out of the woodwork to hit you up for help or to invest in their terrible business or pay for their college or wedding or such."

And a third said: 'You're not awful in the slightest. Your son should always and forever be your priority. Treat yourself to a nice trip while you're at it too.'