Question:
My parents wanted to buy a gift for my children, but didn’t know what to get them. I offered to take the kids to a store, buy them something, and my parents would reimburse me, with the gifts being considered from my parents. The cost was $21, and my father gave me $30. Is this a ribbis problem? (I know sometimes when you lay out money for someone, that’s considered a loan. But here since I was paying for my own kids’ gifts maybe it’s different.) If it is a problem, what should I do with the extra 9 dollars? Thank you
Answer:
Hello,
It is not a problem of Ribbis and it is permitted. The reason is that it is clear to everyone that a parent is not letting the child keep the extra change because the child gave the parent a loan. Rather it is because the parent often just gives the child presents at random, and this is just another time the parent is doing it.
Best wishes
