What Should A Parent Do When Their 18 Y.O. Is Content With A $2/Hour Job And TikTok

Some people think $2 an hour and a full day of scrolling is “just a phase,” until the bills start hitting the kitchen counter like clockwork. In this Reddit post, a parent is watching their 18-year-old clock in zero hours, sleep half the day, and still somehow expect the same support as always.

The OP says they are covering car payments, car insurance, and the kid’s cell phone, while asking for a full-time job and basic housework. The kid refuses the chores, won’t get a full-time job, and responds like contributing is optional, even though the whole setup is already expensive. The OP also admits the thought of kicking them out would break their heart, which is where the whole mess gets sticky.

Now the family dinner is basically a spreadsheet, and the OP is wondering if they crossed a line by demanding adulthood.

AITA to ask my kid not to sleep all day and work full-time?

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They can be free when they can afford to pay all the bills and help around the house

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It would break the OP's heart to kick their kid out

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That’s when the OP starts laying out the exact bills they are paying, car payment, car insurance, and the cell phone, like receipts in a courtroom.</p>

OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the AH:

I have asked my kid to get a full-time job to help pay bills that I am having to cover for such as the car payment, car insurance and their cell phone bill. They will not do any housework that I ask them to do. Am I rude or an AH for asking this of them?

Let's head into the comments section and find out what other Redditors have to say about the story

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OP's kid needs therapy

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It’s like the OP refusing to take sides in her parents’ divorce, despite guilt trips.

He needs to get his act together

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The kid's needs more help than just the basics

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The OP shouldn't pay his bills

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The OP is feeding and providing

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The OP is enabling the same behaviour

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The OP didn't teach discipline on time

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Meanwhile, the 18-year-old is sleeping all day and refusing housework, so the “free to figure it out” vibe starts to look like a free ride.</p>

Then the comments pile in, with some people calling it enabling and others saying the OP should stop covering everything if the chores and job never happen.</p>

And the OP is stuck between not wanting to break their kid’s heart and not wanting to keep funding TikTok time with their own money.</p>

What makes parenting especially tough is that every choice feels loaded. Push too hard and you fear you’ll break the relationship.

Step back too far and you worry you’re enabling harm. You carry not just your child’s present behavior, but their past, their influences, and the future you desperately want for them.

The OP doesn’t want to control their child—OP wants to protect their future. Asking them to work, contribute, and maintain a basic schedule isn’t punishment; it’s preparation for adulthood.

Redditors could pretend that this path leads anywhere good as love without limits becomes enablement, and boundaries aren’t cruelty. They’re care but still, the story got an everyone sucks verdict.

Nobody wants to bankroll an 18-year-old’s TikTok lifestyle forever.

For another moral mess with family pressure, read the niece debating whether to cover her uncle’s secret shady business.