The decision to charge adult children living at home rent is a controversial one. Some parents believe that once their children turn 18 and become legal adults, they must pay their way. Others never charge their children a dime, whether they’re newly 18 or 35 and still living at home.
One mom has a rule of her own regarding rent: If they go to college, they don’t have to pay.
However, when she implemented this longstanding rule, her three oldest children — none of whom went to college — were upset that their younger sibling didn’t have to pay.
“I always told my kids that if they go to college, I’ll take care of everything else. Told them that since they were little kids,” she explained in her Reddit post. “Now I have four kids — three daughters and one son.”
: Single Mom Questions If Charging Her 16-Year-Old Son ‘Rent’ So He Could Have His Own Bedroom In Their House Is A ‘Mistake’
“The three oldest decided college wasn’t for them,” the mom continued. “I understood but I told them they can’t just sit in my house. I made them get jobs and I charge them rent — $200 a month.”
Their younger brother made a different decision. He graduated from high school a couple of months ago and, unlike his sisters, decided that he wanted to attend college.
“I did not force him to get a job as I said if they go to school I’ll literally do everything else. He decided he wanted a job. He works at FedEx and makes about $300 a week,” she continued. “I don’t charge him rent and I’m still gonna try to take care of him until he’s done with college.”
Her daughters view this as a double standard.
“My daughters are more than mad that he’s not paying anything,” she wrote. “They believe him having a job means he can pay something.”
However, the mom is standing by her decision.
Drazen Zigic | Shutterstock
: Dad Tells Son He Has To ‘Pay Rent Or Move Out’ When He Turns 18, Despite Allowing His Older Brother To Stay For Free
“I’m not charging him rent because he’s going to school. (His) getting a job changes nothing in my mind. He simply saw this as a golden opportunity and is running with it,” she pointed out.
She only charges her daughters $200 a month for rent — far, far below the average price of rent in the United States — and made her expectations clear, it doesn’t seem like a double standard.
Had her daughters attended college, they too would have a free place to live. However, they didn’t and their brother did — now they are living with the consequences.
“Your approach is fair and they all knew in advance,” one Redditor wrote. “I believe the same — you either continue school or you start working.”
“You offered the same options to all your kids,” another commenter pointed out. “They’re the ones who chose not to go to college. Which is fair — college isn’t for everyone. But they are the ones who made the choice, and they need to start paying their way in the world.”
“Paying a very reduced rent when you’re a young adult and no longer in school is teaching responsibility,” a third commenter wrote, and experts agree.
Charging adult children rent teaches them valuable life lessons about finances, budgeting, and independence. After all, they will be out on their own paying far more for rent, eventually.
: Mom Refuses To Let Her 25-Year-Old Daughter Move Back Home To Save Money Because ‘She Needs To Learn To Take Care Of Herself’
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.
