18-Year-Old's Parents Drain His $11,000 Savings Account For 'Rent' & Then Tell Him To Move Out
He claimed they stole the money.
Golubovy / Shutterstock.com For many parents, helping their children — whether emotionally, financially, or otherwise — is second-nature. Whether it’s opening up their home, making dinner, or simply providing a listening ear to their kids, they’re more than willing to do so. Even into adulthood, many children maintain strong bonds with their parents.
Especially in today’s economy, many adult children wouldn’t be able to survive without their parents’ support — in fact, Pew Research found that more than half of young adults still live in a parent’s home.
Sadly, that wasn't the case for an 18-year-old who took to Reddit to share that his parents drained his savings account and told him to move out — all within the same week, with no warning.
An 18-year-old’s parents drained his savings account for ‘rent’ and then told him to move out — ‘They put me back to square one.’
Entering adulthood isn't easy. If a young person goes the college route, they’re usually facing a future of debt. If it’s an alternative, like getting a job, the job market is treacherous — especially for first-time employees with little experience.
With rising costs of rent, groceries, and general living expenses, these younger generations often have little choice but to turn to their parents, who might be slightly more financially stable than them, to build up a savings account, find a job, or gain some experience without debilitating financial stress and anxiety.
However, this Reddit poster’s parents did quite the opposite for him. They forced him out of their house and left his $11K in savings depleted. “I do not have a driver’s license yet, as I was saving for driving lessons,” he wrote. “We’re in the rural south and I was homeschooled.”
“They’ve never asked me for rent before, they never even let me eat the food they buy,” he added. “I literally have nothing.”
“I’m not asking for money,” he wrote. “I’m asking, ‘How do I get this money back that they stole?’ My debit card isn’t even under their accounts or names.”
After working and saving for 3 years, the teen was caught off guard when his parents ‘stole’ his debit card to pay themselves ‘rent.’
While it seems the parents drained their son’s savings account to pay some seemingly obligatory rent, the poster made it clear he was unaware of the monetary obligation. Of course, he was technically an adult, but truthfully only a teen. Even so, family and age aside, there was no rental agreement verbal or otherwise.
“They stole my card. What would you do to get the money back?” he asked. “Is it normal that they want $11,400 for rent?”
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With the average one-bedroom apartment nearing $1,700 in the United States, these parents are clearly charging for luxury.
“I can’t believe that some parents are so horrible to their children,” one commenter openly stated. “You should speak to your bank, or a lawyer if possible, and report your card stolen. Hopefully, if they weren’t actually on your account, you’ll be able to file a report and get the money back.”
Most commenters focused on this young man’s plea to get his savings back, but others simply sent him support, arguing that it’s not easy to grow up with parents that clearly don’t respect (or even like) you.
“Once you get the money back,” one person wrote, “start over. Don’t let them take advantage of you again.”
He claimed his parents never expressed the need for him to move out or pay rent before.
While it’s quite normal, at least according to many commenters, for parents to occasionally take $20 from their kid’s Christmas money or even make them pay for things as they grow into young adults, continuously doing so is harmful. Not only are you teaching your children that “stealing” is okay, you’re sacrificing trust in a relationship that’s supposed to be your children’s safe space.
“I’m so sorry this happened to you,” one person wrote. “If I were you, I’d look to sleep on a friend’s couch until you save enough to put down on the first month’s rent somewhere else. Get out of there and don’t look back.”
While legal support and bank regulations are relatively vague, especially since the young man's bank account likely included his parents as joint owners prior to him turning 18, many commenters urged him to involve the police. Considering that they stole his card, removed a lump sum of money from his account, and were essentially kicking him out, many argued they could do something to help support the teen.
While it’s an unfortunate reality, many toxic parents feel entitled to know and have ownership over their children’s lives, savings, money, and goals. Fueled by insecurity, shame, or resentment, they feel empowered to drag their children down with them — whether it’s an obligatory rent payment, removing them from social situations, or emotionally sabotaging them.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories.