There's the old saying "There's no such thing as a free lunch." It's based on the economic principle that even if someone else pays for your lunch, you're paying with the time spent having lunch. It's a surprising but sound concept. There's always a hidden cost to things that might appear to come free.
This is especially true when you start involving family, like the TV show Gilmore Girls aptly illustrated. Your rich parents might pay for your daughter's expensive private school, but in return, you have to turn up to family dinner every Friday. But of course, it's not just dinner. It's the price of giving up some amount of control in how your daughter is raised, and how your time is spent. This is the Lorelai paradox. The family in this story found themselves in this situation, where an inherited house led to some contentious family drama. And commenters were split on who was to blame. Read on for details.