Fifty-two percent of young people are living with Mom and Dad. That’s a lot!
While some do it to save money, some simply love being taken care of by their parents . They still cook , clean, and even do their adult children’s laundry.
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Well, one dad had had enough! He was determined to end the gravy train by imposing a list of strict rules.
This frustrated father brought his dilemma to Reddit’s Am I The Asshole (AITA) community.
This is where people share their stories to determine whether they were in the wrong or not in particular situations.
This dad started by sharing that his 23-year-old son, Chris, recently graduated from college.
Like many recent grads, Chris moved back home with his family. This includes his dad, mom, and younger sister.
While he said living there was temporary, it’s been four months already. But that isn’t what the father has a problem with. “He adds to our expenses and hasn’t started working and doesn’t help in any capacity,” he wrote.
In other words, he’s become a burden, the dad wrote.
He tried to talk to his wife about how Chris has been lazy and mooching off his family. He suggested giving him the push he needed to start counting on himself as an adult, but this upset his wife.
The dad ended up presenting his son with a timeline as to when he’s expected to either start working and help around the house or move out.
He also gave him rules he had to follow until further notice.
The first was, “no counting on us to do basic tasks and start doing his own laundry and wash his own dishes.”
The second read, “no complaining about whats for lunch/dinner and accept and be grateful for the food he eats.”
Finally, he couldn’t use the WIFI for more than six hours a day, just like his younger sister.
The final rule stated that there were “no luxuries like Netflix subscriptions and youtube live streams unless he somehow pays for it himself.”
That was the final straw. Chris blew up after that, calling the rules “ridiculous” and “unfair.” The dad proceeded to remind him that as long as he lives under his roof, he’s expected to follow his rules.
Chris then called for backup from his mom.
“My wife argued with me and I asked her if she was okay with Chris recklessly increasing our bills and spending so much of our money on lavish stuff while doing nothing in return.,” he wrote.
She was extremely upset, telling her husband that he should be ashamed for treating their son as “an unwanted guest.”
He refused to get rid of the rules, as he refuses to enable bad behavior and teach their kids to be lazy. Since the wife said Chris might not speak to his father after he moves out, he’s wondering if he went too far.
Reddit was quick to say that wasn’t the case.
“NTA. ‘I’m an adult, don’t treat me like a child. That being said, please buy all my food, clean up after me, and make me whatever food I want while I watch Netflix, because I’m your special boy,'” this Redditor pointed out.
“Chris is lazy and entitled,” another wrote.
However, they believe that the Redditor went overboard with the rules and should’ve consulted the wife.
“6 hours wifi but also look for work which requires wifi,” another pointed out. For the most part, though, they said that the wife is enabling the son.
So while the father is right to push his son to do better, he’s not gong about it in the right way.
“These rules are really poorly designed to accomplish those goals. They are designed to shut him up and make your life easier. Some of them do seem designed to infantilize him,” this Redditor wrote.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments!
H/T: Reddit
