Vault: Her mom is stealing from her brother Part 2

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Bert Show – "Vault: Her mom is stealing from her brother Part 2" (August 7, 2026)

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Episode Overview

In this emotionally charged episode, The Bert Show crew and their listeners support "Molly," a 20-year-old facing a heartbreaking family dilemma. Molly reveals that her mother has been skimming approximately 50% from her 12-year-old brother's fundraising efforts. The episode focuses on community advice, ethical debates, and Molly’s struggle to balance doing the right thing and maintaining familial stability.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recap of the Issue & Emotional Toll (01:33–02:00)

• Molly explains her situation: her mother is taking half of her little brother’s charity fundraiser money for herself.
• The crew acknowledges the gravity: “She’s in a tight spot... People are heated about this.” – Host (01:48)

2. Weighing Financial Hardship vs. Right and Wrong (02:11–02:41)

• Caller Scott wonders if financial hardship could be “forcing her into the situation,” relating from personal experience.
• Panel responds unanimously that, tough times or not, “You can’t steal from a charity still.” (02:32)
• Brief banter: “Steal from someone with money, don’t take it from a child’s fundraiser.” (02:37)

3. Approaching the Mother: Advice from Listeners (02:49–06:13)

• Keep a Log & Confront with Evidence
  • Caller Greg advises Molly to help her brother keep a detailed log of money collected and compare it with her mother’s records, then address discrepancies: “Help me with the math here.” (03:24)
  • “Any conversation is going to be really, really difficult.” – Host (03:37)
  • “But you gotta have the conversation... You can’t let her keep doing it.” – Panelist (03:50)
• Direct Yet Brief Conversation
  • Another panelist suggests: “Just gotta say, ‘Look, I know what you’re doing and you gotta stop.’” (04:06)
• Mother’s Potential Denial
  • Questions raised: What if mom continues to deny or lie? How to proceed if she’s defensive? (04:29)
• Benefit of the Doubt?
  • Caller Melissa proposes maybe mom is “just going to write one big check at the end,” but others quickly clarify Molly caught her only writing a check for half the amount. (04:42–05:00)
  • “That’s horrible.” – Callers when hearing the confirmed theft (05:06)

4. De-escalation and Non-confrontational Techniques (05:26–06:13)

• Caller Sarah suggests Molly offer to “help” with collecting and logging the money as a way to insert oversight without confrontation—role-playing possible dialogues with a resistant mom.
  • “Mom, clearly you have trouble with math, so let me help you with the adding.” – Sarah (06:06)

5. Auditing the Fundraiser & Empirical Evidence (06:15–06:58)

• Caller Sam recommends reaching out to people who have contributed and auditing the process to gather solid facts: “You need to qualify, quantify this.” (06:35)
• Idle banter: “You are definitely an accountant, aren’t you?”—“No, I’m a systems analyst.” (06:51-06:55)

6. Further Listener Advice: Staying Non-accusatory (07:04–07:42)

• Caller Jason echoes the importance of not accusing mom outright, instead focusing on collecting and delivering all the money on the due date to leave mom little room to act improperly.

7. Molly’s Constraints and Plan (07:43–08:02)

• Molly clarifies there’s one week left in the fundraiser. She expresses regret she didn’t keep logs earlier but is open to overseeing the remaining money: “It would be great if I could start now and continue for the rest of the week.”
• “My brother’s 12... he doesn’t really have time... you want your parents to help out.” – Molly (08:02)

8. Deeper Moral Debate: Family vs. Law (09:08–10:00)

• Layla and her daughter call in; daughter says unequivocally: “I’d put my mom in jail. Stealing is stealing. Right is right. Wrong is wrong.” (09:27)
• The host and Molly both note the complexity—Molly doesn’t want to ruin her living situation or see her mom jailed, but also can’t accept the wrongdoing.

9. Molly’s Final Reflections (10:00–10:38)

• Molly shares her inner conflict: “I was raised to believe stealing was wrong. So when the person that taught you that is doing it… It’s really hard for me. I don’t think she should be put in jail… If she’s in dire straits, I’d help, I just wish she’d ask.” (10:00)
• Molly’s heartbreak: “It shows me like a side of my mom I just don’t want to see.” (10:38)

10. Episode Wrap-Up (10:39–10:53)

• The host thanks Molly: “We could probably do this for the next hour… I'd like to check back and find out how you handle it.” (10:39)

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Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• “She’s in a tight spot. Do I address my mom?” – Host (01:33)
• “You can’t steal from a charity still.” – Caller, responding to possible financial hardships (02:32)
• “I know what you’re doing and you gotta stop.” – Panelist’s direct advice (04:06)
• “That’s horrible.” – Immediate reaction to confirmation of the mom’s theft (05:06)
• “Mom, clearly you have trouble with math, so let me help you with the adding, because clearly, it’s not working.” – Sarah, roleplaying a confrontational but humorous approach (06:06)
• “Stealing is stealing. Right is right. Wrong is wrong. It doesn’t matter if it’s your mom…” – Layla’s daughter (09:28)
• “It’s really hard for me, but I don’t think that she should be put in jail. But, I mean, I don’t think that it’s right. If she’s in dire straits... I just wish she’d ask for help instead of stealing money from a charity.” – Molly (10:00)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 01:33 – Introduction and restatement of Molly’s dilemma
• 02:11–02:41 – First rounds of listener input and context
• 02:49–06:13 – Strategies discussed: logs, direct talk, confrontation avoidance
• 06:15–06:58 – Call for audit and empirical approach
• 07:04–08:02 – Non-confrontational route, assessing current fundraiser timeline
• 09:08–10:00 – Moral absolutism versus family practicality
• 10:00–10:38 – Molly’s heartfelt struggle and hope for reconciliation

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Episode Takeaways

This episode highlights the complex nature of confronting family over serious moral failings, especially when youth, living situations, and deep emotional bonds are in play. Listeners provide a mix of empathy, practical advice, and tough love, with most urging Molly not to ignore the issue—even if it means a very hard conversation.

Final Thoughts:
The Bert Show delivers its trademark blend of humor, empathy, and realness—never trivializing Molly’s predicament. The community’s support and the panel’s insight offer a small anchor in a truly difficult situation. Molly’s last, raw comments make clear the heartbreak and confusion when family values and family reality collide.

Transcript

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[Madison Tevlin]

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[Host (likely Burt)]

some time with Molly here, man, she's in a tight spot. She's 20 years old and her 12 year old brother is raising money for a fundraiser. And Molly here knows as facts that her mom is taking some of that fundraising money for herself.

[Caller or Panelist]

About half of it.

[Host (likely Burt)]

Half of it. So she's in a tight spot. Do I address my mom? We had John just called up a listener. John said call the police on. You still there Molly?

[Molly]

Yeah, I'm here.

[Host (likely Burt)]

All right. People are either heated about this or are trying to give you as good of advice as you can. It's pretty unique situation for sure. Here's Scott. Good morning Scott. You're on the Burt Show.

[Caller or Panelist]

Hey there. I was just gonna ask, could it possibly be like a financial situation going on or something that might be forcing her into the situation or something? Because I had the same similar situation when I was 17 and my mom was almost forced in the same situation when we lost our fatherhead started to move on.

[Host (likely Burt)]

I don't even know that that's still not okay.

[Caller or Panelist]

I mean, a lot of people are in tough financial times. You can't steal from a charity still.

Yeah, steal from like an older person, somebody who's got a lot of money, but don't take it for somebody.

Steal from Jeff.

Uh huh.

I mean, he's got a lot of money.

[Host (likely Burt)]

Good morning, Greg. You're on the Burt Show.

[Caller or Panelist]

Hi, good morning.

I think it's a two step process first, yet you ask the little brother. Don't worry about what happened in the past. You're not gonna be able to prove it. You don't want to call the cops on your mom. Have your little brother keep a log of how much money he has and then find out how much the mother's donating. And if she's donating less, you say, hey, mom, you know, I know you're not stealing, but you know, he handed you $100 and you gave him a check for $50. What am I missing? I said there's, there's a piece missing here because we don't want the 12 year old to think you're shorting the charity. Hell, if he knows that kind of a secret, everybody in town's gonna know, you know, you kept the money.

So what?

You know, how is this. You know how. Help me with the math here.

[Host (likely Burt)]

It's a tough idea.

[Caller or Panelist]

That's a great idea. It's better than the confrontation of it because I think people will be more defensive and your mom would be more defensive.

[Host (likely Burt)]

Any kind, any conversation you're going to have with her is going to be a tough one.

[Caller or Panelist]

Yeah.

[Host (likely Burt)]

If you decide to go that route, you just need to know that any conversation is going to be really, really, really difficult. So I don't know.

[Caller or Panelist]

But you got to have the conversation with her. You can't let her keep doing it.

[Host (likely Burt)]

So we've got Molly here, whose mom is skimming off the top, actually it's more than that. Of her brother's fundraising money. She's taking 50% of it.

[Caller or Panelist]

Right.

[Host (likely Burt)]

And Molly here's 20, doesn't know what to do.

[Caller or Panelist]

And I know everybody's advice is for these long, big conversations with the mom, but the thing is, you know, it's awkward and she's not gonna pull that off. That's why I said in the beginning, you just gotta say, look, I know what you're doing and you gotta stop. I mean, that's a quick conversation, but it embarrasses the mom because I do believe that she would be embarrassed knowing that her child knows that she's stealing.

[Host (likely Burt)]

I would be so Embarrass and ashamed if my.

[Caller or Panelist]

What if she keeps lying about it?

Just says deny, deny?

Yeah. What if Molly approaches her and she's like, I don't know what you're talking

[Host (likely Burt)]

about here is she's on her job. Birch show listener. Melissa, good morning.

[Caller or Panelist]

Good morning, Birch Show. I love you guys.

[Host (likely Burt)]

Hey, Melissa.

[Caller or Panelist]

Hey.

I was just going to say, when my son used to fundraise, I would put all the money in my account and then write it one big check at the end to the fundraiser. So maybe she's not really stealing it, but she's just going to write one big check at the end out of her own account.

That's what she said, but I think Molly said she.

She's adding money.

Yeah, she caught her writing the check for only half the amount.

Oh, I didn't hear that part. Well, maybe she's gonna write a second check for the rest of it. I would hate to think a mom is stealing from a fundraiser.

That's horrible.

[Host (likely Burt)]

I know.

[Caller or Panelist]

So sad.

So sad.

[Host (likely Burt)]

My stomach's upset just thinking about this conversation. It's a tough one to have.

[Caller or Panelist]

You should have a bagel and some yogurt.

[Madison Tevlin]

Okay.

[Host (likely Burt)]

I'll have some Activa. You know, it's very good for your stomach.

[Madison Tevlin]

Activa?

[Host (likely Burt)]

Your digestive.

[Caller or Panelist]

That's right.

Bertram Eats the Musical.

[Host (likely Burt)]

And I'm the only man in America that eats it. Good morning, Sarah. You're on the Burt Show. Hi.

[Caller or Panelist]

Good morning. Hey, Molly. I suggest going to mom saying, mom, what you and my brother are doing is so awesome, I really want to get involved. Let me help you Collect and log the money and disperse it. Hey, maybe I can even put it on my resume.

[Host (likely Burt)]

Okay, so let's role play. Mom says no. I got this covered.

[Caller or Panelist]

No, mom, it's going to be so awesome on my resume. You know how many kids my age

have something this great they can put on there?

[Host (likely Burt)]

No, I've got this taken care of. Don't you worry, baby. You got so many other things to take care of. I got this.

[Caller or Panelist]

No worries, Mom.

Are you kidding me? You're a mom of two kids. You have more than enough to take care of.

Come on.

[Host (likely Burt)]

You clearly. Kick you out of the house and lock the door if you don't leave me alone.

[Caller or Panelist]

Mom, clearly you have trouble with math, so let me help you with the adding, because clearly, it's not working.

[Host (likely Burt)]

Sam, good morning. You got some help here for Molly?

[Caller or Panelist]

Well, I have a suggestion. She should probably audit all of the contributions from the brother's records, and if anyone's contributed Via check.

Call them up and tell them that

you're auditing their contributions to make sure that you're tracking everything correctly and get a perspective of how pervasive this issue is.

And then you have some empirical information to go confront the mom with or

to, you know, find a better way to approach it, either legally or through the charity itself or confrontation with the mom, whatever. But you need to qualify, quantify this. You know, this is subjective. She doesn't know how pervasive it is. She just needs to get a control and a handle on how big it is.

[Host (likely Burt)]

You are definitely an accountant, aren't you?

[Caller or Panelist]

No, I'm not.

I'm a systems analyst.

[Host (likely Burt)]

Analyst.

[Caller or Panelist]

Can someone interpret what he just said?

[Host (likely Burt)]

Yeah, I don't know. Here is Jason. Good morning, Jason. You're. Hi.

[Caller or Panelist]

Hey. How you doing?

[Host (likely Burt)]

Okay.

[Caller or Panelist]

Morning, guys. I just, I would just say, like, don't try to accuse mom. Take the non confrontational route and just say, hey, mom, Jimmy, you know, whatever the little brother's name is, his money's due on this day, so we're gonna need all this money. And then she has no choice but to, you know, write a check. Especially if he's kept a log. If the last guy said, if there were checks written, you know, you'd be able to know. But just so you know, because you don't want. Because the way you go at somebody determines the way they're gonna come back. And if you accuse her, she has an opportunity to say, no, I didn't. So just, you know, take the non confrontational route. Say, hey, we need this money. Let's turn it in, let's move forward.

[Host (likely Burt)]

Thanks, Jason.

[Caller or Panelist]

I'm curious about what's going on with it. So is this fundraising already over and she's already done this? Is it continually going on? Because based on everybody's suggestion, I mean, does your brother have a list of all the checks that came in?

[Molly]

Well, we have a week left, and the fundraising has been going on for a month.

[Madison Tevlin]

Okay.

[Molly]

So as far as the log financially of what's come in, I haven't taken any part in what she's accumulated so far. So I wouldn't. I mean, it would be great if I could start now and continue for the rest of the week. But as far as anything that's come in before, I would have no way of getting that money back because I don't know exactly how much it is. And my mom has been taking care of it. I mean, my brother's 12, you know, he doesn't have time to really, you know, and of course, you want your parents to help out. So she's been doing everything, and it would just. I really don't know how. I would go back and kind of, like, figure out who gave what. I mean, I could essentially, for the rest of the week, you know, that so far, and then maybe by the end of the week, approach her with, you know, the week's tally and then at least save that portion of the money. I just was at home, and I can't afford to, like, you know, mess that up right now.

[Host (likely Burt)]

Sure. Here's. Let me take one more call for you, then we gotta move on. Here is Layla. Good morning. You're on the Burke Show.

[Caller or Panelist]

Good morning. I have three kids, and my daughter, who's 19, is riding with me right now. And we both thought the same thing. I answered, coyote, what would you do? She said the same thing, Mama, I'd put you in jail. My mom. I would put my mom in jail.

Whoa.

Stealing is stealing. Right is right. Wrong is wrong. It doesn't matter if it's your mom, your dad, your brother, your sister, your best friend, or your enemy. Stealing is stealing. If she's stealing from other children, she's not stealing from a charity at that, just like my daughter said. A charity?

[Host (likely Burt)]

Well, I don't know. I don't know. I don't think that I can make that call for that. I don't know.

[Caller or Panelist]

Well, one of the things she just said was that she's living at home right now, and she didn't want to mess that up. So there's also that risk that it sounds like you don't want to go on the confrontational route because you want to be able to set up a place to live.

[Molly]

Yeah, I mean, it's. You know, I definitely. I mean, I was my. I was raised to believe this feeling was wrong. So when the person that taught you that is doing. You know, it's just. It's really hard for me, but I don't think that she should be put in jail. But, I mean, I don't think that it's right. And if she's in dire straits right now or whatever, like, I'll help. Like, I can help. I just wish that she would ask for help instead of stealing money from a charity. I mean, that's really prideful, you know, it seems really prideful and kind of shows. You know, it shows me, like, a side of my mom that I just

[Caller or Panelist]

don't want to see.

[Host (likely Burt)]

No, I'm sorry, Molly, we gotta take off. We could probably do this for the next hour. I hope we gave you something to chew on there though, and I'd definitely like to check back with you and find out how you handle it.

[Caller or Panelist]

Okay, great.

[Molly]

Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate it.

[Host (likely Burt)]

All right, good luck.

[Molly]

Thank you.

[Caller or Panelist]

Bye bye.

[Host (likely Burt)]

Bye bye.

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