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His Stepfather Wants Him To Pay $120 Rent While In High School. Too Soon or Perfectly Acceptable?

His Stepfather Wants Him To Pay $120 Rent While In High School. Too Soon or Perfectly Acceptable?

Motherhood Life Balance

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With inflation on the rise, this might be something more parents do. Should an 18 year old pay rent to help out and learn some real-world responsibilities? Or is Step Dad being spiteful in asking for $120 per month? This stepfather wants his 18-year-old stepson to pay rent while in his last year of high school to help prepare him for the real world.

The Rental Agreement

The original poster recently came to Reddit to find out if he was being unreasonable about his expectations for his final year at home before going to college. OP says that he doesn’t expect to live rent-free forever but feels that his step-father is spiteful because his step-father and mother had 2 kids in 9 years of marriage. OP is not his blood.

OP feels that he’s being treated like a guest, and his mom is allowing it because she thinks the sun shines only on her husband. OP said his stepfather doesn’t need his money, but he wants $120 per month

OP is moving out in September to go to school and feels like his stepfather is being vindictive. That he knows that OP is trying to save the money he has left from his last job and that paying him $960 over the next 8 months when their family doesn’t need it feels spiteful and like he’s punishing OP and making his life harder for just being born.

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OP also went on to say that recently he spoke with his aunt (mother’s sister), who isn’t fond of OP’s stepfather said he was being ridiculous and told OP to come to live with her. OP said her house is an hour away, but his current school is in the middle, 30 mins from where he lives now and 30 mins from his aunt’s place.

Moving Out

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OP said his mother has been crying that he’s leaving already, and his stepfather is annoyed. OP said they got into an argument, and his stepfather said he’s just treating OP like a tenant to prepare him for the real world, that OP is hurting his mother, and that he is taking resources from his aunt because OP is “too entitled” to pay rent.

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Redditors gave their opinions on whether the OP was in the wrong or not. One Redditor had this to say, “NTA. Actions meet consequences. Your stepdad tried to flex on you…and his powerplay backfired.

Reddit Weighs In

Your mother may be crying, but she LET HIM DO IT. That house is half hers, and so is the decision to charge you rent. She is not blameless here. Your aunt’s “resources” are none of your stepdad’s business. OP, move out without another guilt pang, okay? Work hard to crush your exams, be super-considerate and make yourself very useful in your aunt’s household (shovel the walk, do dishes, walk the dog, whatever is needed — and if you don’t know, ASK).

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A second Redditor said, “ You are a dependent child, still in school, getting straight As, and going to post-secondary in the fall. Your stepfather wanted to steal your money and still crow about how generous he is to let you keep living there.”

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