Dad wants his adult daughter to do chores around the house instead of paying rent and sparks debate

A dad has sparked a furious debate online after revealing his rules for his daughter to live with him.

The debate regarding whether it is acceptable for parents to charge their adult children to live under their roof is always divisive.

Some think it is never OK and that a parent should provide as much as possible if their children are working towards their education, goals or careers.

While others believe that adults shouldn’t expect their parents to take care of them as they need to learn to be able to care for themselves.

However, one dad has taken to Reddit to ask if he was the a**hole for his situation with his daughter.

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He wrote: “So, I have a 20-year-old daughter who is currently living with me rent-free while she attends college.

"When she moved back home, we made a deal where she would cook and clean the house as a form of payment for her living here.

"She agreed to it, and we both thought it was fair.

“However, recently, she approached me and said that the cooking and cleaning are taking up too much of her time, making it hard for her to study and complete her homework.

"She asked if I could reduce the number of days she has to cook to give her more time for her studies.”

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The dad added: “I told her that she should be grateful for the deal I offered her and that it's not that hard to do a few hours of chores compared to what many kids her age are going through.

"I pointed out that some of her peers are working 9-5 while going to school simultaneously, and I've given her the luxury of just handling some household chores in exchange for free housing.”

He continued to explain that he is now less sure of himself and wants to stick with the agreement despite his daughter’s issues.

While some social media users defended the father, many came to the conclusion that he was being unreasonable.

One wrote: "YTA [you're the a**hole]. Based on your answers, this is a lot of work."

Another advised: "I was a student that required a lot of time to study… I would reduce her chores so she can do her best with school."

Someone else questioned: "YTA if she is doing all the chores and cooking then what are you doing? You sound so lazy. She isn't Cinderella."

However, after reflecting on the thoughts shared by other users, the dad seemed to double down.

“After reading a lot of you guy's comments, I'm leaning towards making an ultimatum with my daughter. Either she can get a job and pay some of the rent, so she no longer has to consistently cook & clean anymore or she can continue with the deal I initially offered her,” he added.

What do you think?

Topics: Parenting, Reddit

Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard is a Journalist at UNILAD and has dived headfirst into covering everything from breaking global stories to trending entertainment news. He has a bachelors in English Literature from Brunel University and has written across a number of different national and international publications. Most notably the Financial Times, Daily Express, Evening Standard and Newsweek.