‘Boomer Dad’ Asks Son To Drop Him Off At The Homeless Shelter After Being Asked To Pay Half The Rent While Staying In His Home
Should his son call his bluff?
Studio Romantic / Shutterstock.com In a Reddit post, a man shared the complicated story of his father and brother’s recent dispute. After living with his brother for several months and planning to stay longer, he was asked to start contributing to rent.
Unfortunately, Dad didn't think the request was fair.
A ‘boomer dad’ asked his son to take him to a homeless shelter instead of paying half their rent while staying with them long-term.
“My dad thinks that my sibling asking him to pay half the rent at the place he lives with them ($750, leaving him with about 350 for the rest of the month) is unfair and that they are taking money from him.”
Instead of agreeing to pay the rent, their father “demanded” to be taken to a homeless shelter.
With many baby boomers experiencing homelessness at higher rates than ever, many younger generations struggle to sympathize with them. Not only did many older generations have decades to build wealth, buy homes, and establish a comfortable livelihood for themselves (compared to struggling younger generations in the current economy), but they also had the opportunity to save.
The financial disparity between generations had commenters wondering what this father’s logic was behind wanting to go to the homeless shelter. Was there something else going on?
“Gen-Z and millennials are being forced to spend the majority of their paychecks on rent and bills,” one person pointed out. “Is that reality too difficult to come to terms with for a boomer searching for housing? Why should they be able to get it for free after decades of affordable housing?”
On a fixed income, with no other bills, this man’s son thought it was reasonable to charge him rent.
Being that his brother was paying close to $1,500 for his rental and already sharing it with his father — who had his own room in the home — it didn’t seem unreasonable to ask him to split it. He’d had years to save, a fixed Social Security income, and no other bills to pay. He’d essentially been saving all his Social Security benefits since living with his son.
Despite that, and the fact that his brother was responsible for caring for his father — including taking him to appointments, making him meals, and paying for things like Wi-Fi, streaming services, and groceries in the home — his father had an unexpected response.
“He demanded my sibling drop him off at the city's homeless shelter,” the brother wrote. “He [said] that he will be better off there, keeping all his SSI money … He’d lived there about 7 years prior and worked his way to Section 8 housing … He was still unable to care for himself and my sibling and I cleaned for him and drove him to appointments.”
Despite the circumstances, his dad still ‘demanded’ he be taken to the homeless shelter — ‘He’s unable to care for himself.’
“I don’t know how a homeless shelter is better than getting home-cooked meals, chilling in his own bedroom all day with Wi-Fi and streaming services, and getting to see one of his children and his grandchild every day,” the brother finally argued, ending his post.
Fizkes / Shutterstock.com
Some commenters relayed a similar sentiment to the poster, making a case for something deeper beneath the surface in regard to societal expectations about saving money.
Studies show that many boomers rely on their adult children to remain financially stable later in life, especially if they don’t have hefty retirement plans — something that might come as a shock to the ego, especially after decades of being self-reliant.
While some argued that might be the battle his father was struggling with — having his lack of financial contributions being called out — others suggested it’s a kind of “emotional manipulation” he’s pulling to make his children feel guilty.
“My father said stuff like this to my sister and mooched off her for almost two decades,” one person wrote. “He just expected to be taken care of with little to no reciprocation. Any time he was pressed to get a job and pitch in, he threatened living in the woods. Call his bluff. If he isn’t willing to chip in, not even a counteroffer, to help his family take care of him, then he clearly needs a reality check before it’s too late.”
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories.