Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
513
“Good Luck With That”: Parents Try To Ground 20 Y.O. Business Owner Who Pays Them Rent
Twenty is a wonderful age, just agree. At the age of 20, Alexander the Great conquered a third of the ancient world, Albert Einstein published his first scientific work, Steve Jobs founded Apple, Serena Williams was universally recognized as the best tennis player in the world… and today’s hero in this story got grounded by their parents.
Well, how to put this, the parents tried to ground them because of being ‘disrespectful’ and despite the fact that by the age of 20, the company founded by the author, the user u/AggravatingBat314, brought them $60K/year. Perhaps this story is worth understanding in detail…
More info: Reddit
RELATED:
The author of the post is a 20YO living with their parents while being in their final year of college
Image credits: Spacejoy (not the actual photo)
However, the parents were charging them rent for the last 4 years – ever since the company became profitable
Image credits: u/AggravatingBat314
The parents demanded the author attend all family activities – but they have another opinion
Image credits: Igal Ness (not the actual photo)
Image credits: u/AggravatingBat314
Recently, the youngster flew to Mexico with friends instead of attending an Easter get-together with relatives, and the parents got mad
Image credits: wassim mechergui (not the actual photo)
Image credits: u/AggravatingBat314
They attempted to ‘ground’ them but when told “good luck with that,” they took offense and dubbed the author ‘disrespectful’
So, meet the Original Poster (OP), a 20 Y.O., who is in their senior year of college, and lives at home with their parents. However, the main reason, in the author’s own words, is low rent. Yes, that’s right – their parents have been charging them for accommodation for four years, right from the moment they founded their company.
Four years ago, the OP, with financial help from their grandparents, founded a company that first engaged in dropshipping and then switched to direct interaction with Chinese manufacturing companies. Moreover, next year, the author’s company will be bought by a large corporation and the owner is already guaranteed a job there.
From the very first year when the company became profitable, the parents hinted to the OP that it was time to pay the rent themselves. Well, all said and done, the author has since invariably paid all their bills. They also have a scholarship in university, so their parents actually don’t help them with anything in their adult life. Unless they are offended when they do not take part in family activities.
For example, this Easter, the OP’s parents planned a big family get-together, but the author refused to attend – simply because they had already joined their classmates on a vacation to Mexico. It was their last year in college, so they wanted to spend time together. That’s what happened – but the parents got absolutely mad about it.
Moreover, they stated that the OP is grounded from now on, to which they just laughed in their faces and said, “Good luck with that!” Now the parents dub them ‘disrespectful’ and ‘rude,’ and even tried to win over the grandpa. However, the old gentleman flip-flopped over this, having learned that for 4 years now the author has actually been their parents’ tenant.
In any case, the drama was resolved by the author renting an Airbnb in anticipation of a deal to sell their company (the agreement implies owner relocation). The parents are trying to get through to them, but the OP simply avoids them so that there are no unnecessary reasons for unpleasant conversations.
Image credits: Alice Donovan Rouse (not the actual photo)
Well, being young is actually a great time for founding a startup (especially when you have grandparents ready to help with the initial capital). So, according to data by Harvard Business Review, around 15% of all startup founders in the USA are 29 and under (among the highest-growing startup founders, this figure is slightly less – about 10%).
Moreover, investors are often truly captivated by the energy and enthusiasm emanating from young people. “The cutoff in investors’ heads is 32,” the NY Times quotes Paul Graham, the cofounder of Y Combinator. “After 32, they start to be a little skeptical.” So we can only congratulate the original poster on the successful start of their journey in business. But what about their parents?
Some commenters under the original post do believe that the parents are showing double standards towards the author. “They’re trying to have it both ways,” one of the commenters sincerely wrote. “Treat you like an adult when it comes to money, and like a child when it suits them. Just tell them they don’t get to make you pay for your life and control it at the same time.”
People in the comments also believe that trying to use the grandfather’s authority to mentally pressure the OP also says a lot about the parents. “The fact they hid [the fact they get rent] from grandpa but wanted to call him to scold you? That tells me they have some of their own faults they don’t want to admit to. That tells me this is 99% on them,” another person concluded.
And, of course, commenters are really happy for the OP’s business success and wish them good luck in the future – in particular, with regard to defending their independence. “You’re an adult, paying rent, with a job,” someone added. “Good move on renting an airbnb and I wish you success in your endeavors.” And do you, our readers, agree with these opinions?
People in the comments praised the author, both for their business success and for sticking by their personal boundaries
Poll Question
Total votes ·
Thanks! Check out the results:
Total votes ·
Newsletter
Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls
By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!
What do you think ?
ॐBoyGanesh 1 year ago (edited)
It’s always a great idea to establish transactional relationships with your children. Especially in their teen years. Even more so when they’re rather self-reliant & ready to graduate university at 20,, with a job lined up. By establishing such a relationship, you can almost guarantee they’ll, indeed, treat their relationship with you transactionally. Maybe they’ll be rather fiscally responsibly when it comes to the transaction of shoving your old, feeble body into a nursing home far, far away and only come visit you once a year or so. Superb parenting! /s
Ken Beattie 1 year ago
Charging rent (or board depending on where you're from) is not unusual. Based on the story he finished school by 16 so it's not that strange. I know multiple people who were charged a token amount at 16 because they'd finished school and started working but didn't move out of the family home. The usual thing is that some of the money might go to household costs but most of it tends to get put aside and is "gifted" back to the kid when they move out. It's a nice surprise to suddenly be given $5 or $10 grand when you're looking to get a place of your own. So NO charging rent/board isn't a bad thing in and of itself. The only bad thing in the story is their attitude towards their NOW adult child. Can't treat a 20 year old who is financially independent like a young teen and expect them to tow the line.
Load More Replies...
C.O. Shea 1 year ago
I came home on leave from the Air Force. Mummsy tried to "force me" to come help in her classroom. Nope, I'm on vacation. Cue screaming rant... we paid for your college. Nope, the AFROTC scholarship did. Rant... we paid room & board. Fine, lets set up a payment plan to return that money. Pikachu face!
Hope Tirendi 1 year ago
I love all these idiot parents saying "we paid your room and board"! No idiot you did your job as a PARENT!!! If you didn't want to pay then you shouldn't have had kids.
Load More Replies...
Petra 1 year ago
Yes, it's really impressive for anyone but especially impressive for someone his age.
Load More Replies...
MR 1 year ago
I have no doubt they didn't bother including their kid in the planning of this family event. Just expected him to be there. Which is typical of this sort of parent. Mine were notorious for telling me as we were leaving that we had a family thing. Drove me nuts and caused me to not want to go to them as soon as I was free to reject them. And if they did consult him and just ignored his plans in choosing their dates. Either way, their kid is an adult and needs to be treated as one.
Tobias Reaper 1 year ago
yeah when you're an adult someone stopping you from leaving is not called grounding its called false imprisonment i joke with my mum about this say what you gonna do ground me because as an adult they cant unless they try to physically stop you then thats a whole different can or worms
Dillon Sizemore 1 year ago
Alot of people are saying oh charging your underage child rent is fine. No , no it is not a lot of places you can not rent or buy a place of living at 16 no matter how much money you have so you have to live with an adult. I've seen alot of 16 yo girls in this situation get boyfriends older then them so they don't have to go back to a place where thier parents steal thier money and treat them like a child and it usually involves multiple calls to the police for running away and huge wastes of time and resources.
Allan D 1 year ago (edited)
He graduated early, partly because he started his own business? Nice to know that spending more time on something else gets one the freedom to get ahead in school. I had more credits than I needed to graduate but the school wouldn't let me because i was missing an English credit that they wouldn't let me get the prior year. Had I known I just needed to start a business, I would have!
Charlotte I 1 year ago
Might just mean she chose to graduate after earning the fewest credits possible rather than finishing the full school year, depending on the school system it can be possible to end a term or semester early
Load More Replies...
Jasmyn JAY 1 year ago
I would not have had my child paying rent at 16🤦🏾♀️. I'd "charge" at 18 just to save it for them as a deposit for a house.
Petra 1 year ago
I had a similar thought. It would've been better if the parents taught OP about personal finance, investing, and saving for a house. They could've even gone so far as to require x amount or x percent to go to investing/saving for a house while OP lived with them. But to require rent? Especially as a minor? I really really don't get it. It's your job as the parent to provide for your children, at least I told them turn 18. If the parents wanted to teach financial responsibility, there were much better ways to go about it.
Load More Replies...
Sarah Ellison 1 year ago
I can understand the parents wanting her to contribute to the household finances when she is making so much money a year, but framing it as rent is weird. Have her contribute to a monthly pot that pays for groceries and utilities, and have her be responsible for her own bills (phone, car, insurance) if the point is to teach financial responsibility.
ॐBoyGanesh 1 year ago (edited)
It’s always a great idea to establish transactional relationships with your children. Especially in their teen years. Even more so when they’re rather self-reliant & ready to graduate university at 20,, with a job lined up. By establishing such a relationship, you can almost guarantee they’ll, indeed, treat their relationship with you transactionally. Maybe they’ll be rather fiscally responsibly when it comes to the transaction of shoving your old, feeble body into a nursing home far, far away and only come visit you once a year or so. Superb parenting! /s
Ken Beattie 1 year ago
Charging rent (or board depending on where you're from) is not unusual. Based on the story he finished school by 16 so it's not that strange. I know multiple people who were charged a token amount at 16 because they'd finished school and started working but didn't move out of the family home. The usual thing is that some of the money might go to household costs but most of it tends to get put aside and is "gifted" back to the kid when they move out. It's a nice surprise to suddenly be given $5 or $10 grand when you're looking to get a place of your own. So NO charging rent/board isn't a bad thing in and of itself. The only bad thing in the story is their attitude towards their NOW adult child. Can't treat a 20 year old who is financially independent like a young teen and expect them to tow the line.
Load More Replies... C.O. Shea 1 year ago
I came home on leave from the Air Force. Mummsy tried to "force me" to come help in her classroom. Nope, I'm on vacation. Cue screaming rant... we paid for your college. Nope, the AFROTC scholarship did. Rant... we paid room & board. Fine, lets set up a payment plan to return that money. Pikachu face!
Hope Tirendi 1 year ago
I love all these idiot parents saying "we paid your room and board"! No idiot you did your job as a PARENT!!! If you didn't want to pay then you shouldn't have had kids.
Load More Replies... Petra 1 year ago
Yes, it's really impressive for anyone but especially impressive for someone his age.
Load More Replies... MR 1 year ago
I have no doubt they didn't bother including their kid in the planning of this family event. Just expected him to be there. Which is typical of this sort of parent. Mine were notorious for telling me as we were leaving that we had a family thing. Drove me nuts and caused me to not want to go to them as soon as I was free to reject them. And if they did consult him and just ignored his plans in choosing their dates. Either way, their kid is an adult and needs to be treated as one.
Tobias Reaper 1 year ago
yeah when you're an adult someone stopping you from leaving is not called grounding its called false imprisonment i joke with my mum about this say what you gonna do ground me because as an adult they cant unless they try to physically stop you then thats a whole different can or worms
Dillon Sizemore 1 year ago
Alot of people are saying oh charging your underage child rent is fine. No , no it is not a lot of places you can not rent or buy a place of living at 16 no matter how much money you have so you have to live with an adult. I've seen alot of 16 yo girls in this situation get boyfriends older then them so they don't have to go back to a place where thier parents steal thier money and treat them like a child and it usually involves multiple calls to the police for running away and huge wastes of time and resources.
Allan D 1 year ago (edited)
He graduated early, partly because he started his own business? Nice to know that spending more time on something else gets one the freedom to get ahead in school. I had more credits than I needed to graduate but the school wouldn't let me because i was missing an English credit that they wouldn't let me get the prior year. Had I known I just needed to start a business, I would have!
Charlotte I 1 year ago
Might just mean she chose to graduate after earning the fewest credits possible rather than finishing the full school year, depending on the school system it can be possible to end a term or semester early
Load More Replies... Jasmyn JAY 1 year ago
I would not have had my child paying rent at 16🤦🏾♀️. I'd "charge" at 18 just to save it for them as a deposit for a house.
Petra 1 year ago
I had a similar thought. It would've been better if the parents taught OP about personal finance, investing, and saving for a house. They could've even gone so far as to require x amount or x percent to go to investing/saving for a house while OP lived with them. But to require rent? Especially as a minor? I really really don't get it. It's your job as the parent to provide for your children, at least I told them turn 18. If the parents wanted to teach financial responsibility, there were much better ways to go about it.
Load More Replies... Sarah Ellison 1 year ago
I can understand the parents wanting her to contribute to the household finances when she is making so much money a year, but framing it as rent is weird. Have her contribute to a monthly pot that pays for groceries and utilities, and have her be responsible for her own bills (phone, car, insurance) if the point is to teach financial responsibility.
Related on Bored Panda
78
49