Apart from paying her parents rent while she’s a minor, this Redditor recently discovered they’d been stealing thousands from her. She refused to pay them anymore, and now she’s left battling their emotional blackmail!
Well-Paying Part-Time Job
OP (Original Poster) is a 15-year-old girl who worked a seasonal job with decent tips. She worked there part-time over the summer, but now that the season is over, she hasn’t been called to cover any shifts because they don’t need the extra people.
Requiring Her to Work and Pay Rent
Per OP, her parents made her get a summer job, and as a 15-year-old, they expected the pay to be just around $10 to $11 an hour.
However, when they found out she was being paid decently and had a lot of tips, they required her to give them around three-quarters of her weekly pay to cover her “rent, food, and appliances.”
Not an Issue
Initially, it wasn’t a problem for OP. She said that she had a decent amount of savings and had also been receiving an allowance from her grandparents for the past six to seven years.
She said, “The money they took from my job was practically reimbursed.”
Feeling Betrayed
However, their problems started when OP discovered that her parents had taken more than they should have from her bank account. She said they were taking around $150 to $250 more than they agreed upon.
She mentioned that, at this point, what they were taking was already dipping into her savings and the money her grandparents gave her. She said her parents were using her money to pay for their trips.
Confrontations
OP confronted her parents about her discovery. Instead of apologizing, they told her she was a “selfish b***h,” and it was “the least she could do to help her family since she doesn’t help out any other way.”
In turn, OP told them she would have preferred they asked her about it before they dipped into her personal savings. She said, “I have helped them out with money before.”
It’s Our Right!
OP’s parents seemed to think they had all the right to OP’s money when clearly, they didn’t.
She shared, “They both became extremely mad and claimed they were not doing anything wrong because they are my parents and as long as I live under their roof, I will have to pay what is required.”
Moving Her Assets
OP told her grandparents about the issue. She told them she made a new account under her grandparents’ name so that her parents would no longer have any access to it.
Toxic Family Relationships
Sadly, OP’s relationship with her parents became toxic since the issue blew up. Additionally, her mom hadn’t talked to her and had also threatened that she would send her away.
Sad Developments
In an edit, OP said things have gotten worse. She mentioned her parents found the cash she was hiding in her room and stole it again.
She mentioned they were going on a trip funded using her money and that her parents call it an “anniversary gift” from her.
At a Loss
OP’s getting sent to her grandparents when her parents are on vacation, and she’s really at a loss; she doesn’t know what to do moving forward. She’s planning to buy a safe and keep it at her grandparents’ house so she can move all her valuables there.
You’re Stingy
Her parents also took her phone from her because they said they paid for it. OP said her parents told her they could do what they wanted with the phone they paid for because she was a “stingy b***h.”
Emotional Blackmail
Additionally, her parents—mainly her mom—had been emotionally blackmailing OP.
She shared, “I just decided to give up; it’s not really worth the problems since my mum has made it a point to send videos of herself having a ‘nervous breakdown’ and photos of herself crying because of how much stress and misery I have put her through for the past month.”
Abuse?
To add to this, her mom’s not allowing her to get the treatment or medication she needs, which is clearly a sign of abuse.
OP said, “She’s also not allowing my iron transplant, and she refuses to pay for my iron tablets.”
Trying to Piece Things Together
Despite how much she’s been hurt, OP still doesn’t want to give up on her family. She doesn’t want everything to crumble because of her.
She sadly shared, “I hope it just gets better from here because I don’t want my family to fully fall apart because of me.”
Redditors’ Reactions
Redditors tried comforting OP and telling her she doesn’t owe her parents anything.
One said, “Not the a**hole—a child owes their parents nothing in payment; that’s absurd.” Another replied, “Not the a**hole. Your parents are stealing from you. It’s abuse. Contact the authorities. Go live with your grandparents. Get help.”
Your Parents Don’t Deserve You
Some Redditors who are also parents are baffled that OP’s mom and dad can do something so cruel to their daughter.
A user commented, “Not the a**hole. I am so very sorry you’re going through this. As a parent, I will never make my children’s money pay rent. They are currently in school and working a part-time job, and that is what’s most important—their education. I have a 16-year-old, a 19-year-old, and a 22-year-old, and not one of them has ever paid me rent. I would rather them save their money for the future. I had children with my wife because I wanted to have children, not because I was looking for an additional source of income.”
How would you comfort OP? What advice would you give to help her find her next steps?
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This post first appeared as She Refused to Continue Paying Her Parents Rent After She Discovered They’d Been Stealing $200 From Her Monthly. She’s Only 15, but They Said She’s “Selfish” and “Stingy!” on Quote Ambition.
