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Mom Asks 17YO To Fend For Herself As She’s “Grown Up”, Teen Snaps And Asks Why She Had Kids
Teen arguing with mother about parenting and buying their own food during a tense conversation at home.

Mom Asks 17YO To Fend For Herself As She’s “Grown Up”, Teen Snaps And Asks Why She Had Kids

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It’s no secret that, sadly, some people have to struggle when it comes to getting food. It’s just how unfairly our world is built. And if that weren’t bad enough already, the lack of food can not only harm people’s nutrition and health, but their social life and relationships, too.

A good proof of that is today’s story. In it, a mom struggles to feed her 17 and 19-year-old kids, so she announces that from this point on, they have to fend for themselves, because “they’re grown.” Only little did she know this would make her daughter air out some grievances she had held onto for a long time.

More info: Reddit

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    It’s a sad fact that a lot of people struggle with getting food in their day-to-day lives

    Teen girl in a yellow sweater and backpack leaning on railing, representing 17YO calling out mom retiring from parenting.

    Image credits: garetsvisual / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

    If that fact alone wasn’t bad enough, the lack of food not only harms their health, but can hurt their relationship as well, just like in today’s story

    Alt text: 17YO calls out mom for retiring from parenting after telling kids to buy their own food in a high school job struggle.

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    Text message from a 17-year-old calling out mom for retiring from parenting by making kids buy their own food.

    Teen calls out mom for retiring from parenting after telling kids to buy their own food due to SNAP shutdown.

    Hand reaching into nearly empty fridge with a single lime, illustrating parenting challenges and kids buying their own food.

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    Image credits: Eduardo Ramos / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

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    A mom, struggling to provide food for her teen kids, announced that from this point on they have to fend for themselves

    Text excerpt showing a 17-year-old calling out mom for retiring from parenting after telling kids to buy their own food.

    Text excerpt showing a 17-year-old expressing frustration as mom retires from parenting and kids must buy their own food.

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    ALT text: Teen calls out mom for retiring from parenting after kids must buy their own food in family argument text excerpt

    A teenage girl confronting her mother about parenting, discussing responsibility and buying their own food at home.

    Image credits: pacoocimage / Freepik (not the actual photo)

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    Her 17 year old daughter couldn’t believe her ears how is she supposed to do that while still at school and without a proper job?

    Text excerpt showing a 17-year-old calling out mom for retiring from parenting and telling kids to buy their own food.

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    Text on screen showing a 17-year-old expressing anger and hurt about mom retiring from parenting.

    Text update from 17-year-old about conversation with mom who was stressed over parenting and food situation.

    Image credits: anon

    So, she started lashing out at her mom about feeling as an unwanted kid and her mom kind of agreed with it, which hurt her even more

    The 17-year-old OP is a high school student who lives in an area where it’s relatively hard to get a job, so she has to rely on her mom for financial help. But then, one day her mother announced that she would no longer buy food for her kids, because “they’re grown” and can buy it themselves. 

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    Apparently, the family relies on SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to get food, which has now been cut off due to the United States’ governmental shutdown. So, without getting this assistance, the mom was so stressed about not being able to afford food that she decided that everyone should fend for themselves. 

    Yet, her daughter didn’t like this plan even one bit. She went off on her mom about why she even had kids if she can’t take care of them, if they, as she has said, “ruined her life” and stuff like that.  

    Basically, she just expressed that she feels like an unwanted child. Even if you never felt like this, you can imagine that it’s not a pleasant feeling. In fact, it’s way more than that. Often enough, feelings like that tend to turn into a full-blown complex trauma

    Such traumas are usually brought on by prolonged, repeated distress, just like the messaging of “you weren’t wanted.” This thought can manifest through straightforward words or (sub)conscious behavior

    A teenage girl and her mother sitting on a couch looking upset, reflecting a parenting conflict about buying food.

    Image credits: Ben White / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

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    For example, dismissing a child’s feelings, comparing them to others, overcontrolling, guilt-tripping, and being emotionally unavailable can be considered such behavior. Of course, these behaviors don’t inherently mean that parents didn’t want their kid, but often enough they can signify exactly that, especially if more than one of them occurs. 

    And, as we already said, it can turn into prolonged trauma for a kid. The effects of it can become evident through symptoms like feelings of shame, the belief that they’re unlovable, fear of abandonment, emotional dysregulation, imposter syndrome, and self-sabotage, to name a few. 

    In the OP’s case, she clearly felt at least some of them, since she felt the need to call out her mom’s behavior, which resulted in this whole predicament. That’s why the netizens didn’t feel like the girl did anything wrong here – she just expressed her frustration on the mom, who refused to take care of her minor daughter

    Granted, the mom later apologized, explaining that the whole thing stemmed from her stress about the food, but damage was already done. 

    Who do you think was in the wrong in the story? Please, share your thoughts with us!

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    Netizens told the girl that she wasn’t in the wrong by airing out her hurt the mom wanted to shed her parental responsibility on the minor daughter, so someone had to speak out

    Screenshot of a Reddit discussion about a 17-year-old calling out mom for retiring from parenting and making kids buy their own food.

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    Reddit comments discussing a 17-year-old calling out mom for retiring from parenting and refusing to buy food.

    Reddit conversation discussing a 17-year-old calling out mom for retiring from parenting and kids buying their own food.

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    Reddit conversation about a 17-year-old calling out mom for retiring from parenting and making kids buy their own food.

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    Screenshot of an online discussion about a 17-year-old calling out mom for retiring from parenting responsibilities.

    Screenshot of a Reddit conversation where a 17-year-old discusses their mom retiring from parenting and kids buying food.

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    Screenshot of a Reddit comment advising to call CPS and visit a food bank after mom retires from parenting.

    Screenshot of an online comment discussing a 17-year-old calling out mom for retiring from parenting after food responsibilities shift.

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    Screenshot of a Reddit comment where a user advises a 17-year-old about their mom retiring from parenting and kids buying their own food.

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    Screenshot of an online comment calling out a mom for retiring from parenting after telling kids to buy their own food

    Screenshot of a Reddit comment discussing a mom retiring from parenting and making kids buy their own food.

    Text message on screen reading: More people really need to hear what you told your mother about retiring from parenting and kids buying their own food.

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    Comment on a social media post discussing a 17-year-old calling out their mom for retiring from parenting after telling kids to buy their own food.

    Screenshot of a forum comment expressing sympathy for a 17-year-old whose mom stopped parenting and told kids to buy their own food.

    Comment calling out mom for retiring from parenting after telling kids to buy their own food in parenting debate online.

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    Screenshot of a Reddit comment discussing a 17-year-old calling out mom for retiring from parenting and kids buying their own food.

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    Comment advising to seek school counselor or trusted teacher for help with food programs after mom stops providing meals.

    Comment on parenting retirement, where a 17-year-old calls out mom for making kids buy their own food.

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    Ugnė Bulotaitė

    Ugnė Bulotaitė

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    I am a writer at Bored Panda. I have loved creating and writing down stories about people and things since I was little and I think this passion led me to get degrees in sociology, communication, and journalism. These degrees opened various paths for me, and I got a chance to be a volunteer in the human rights field, and also try myself out in social research and journalism areas. Besides writing, my passions include pop culture: music, movies, TV shows; literature, and board games. In fact, I have been dubbed a board games devotee by some people in my life.

    Read less »
    Ugnė Bulotaitė

    Ugnė Bulotaitė

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    I am a writer at Bored Panda. I have loved creating and writing down stories about people and things since I was little and I think this passion led me to get degrees in sociology, communication, and journalism. These degrees opened various paths for me, and I got a chance to be a volunteer in the human rights field, and also try myself out in social research and journalism areas. Besides writing, my passions include pop culture: music, movies, TV shows; literature, and board games. In fact, I have been dubbed a board games devotee by some people in my life.

    What do you think ?
    Mel in Georgia
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I wonder how many scenarios like this are going down in the US right now. I don't know how struggling families survive these days. 🙁

    Roni Stone
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    All over the country. We're in day four of no SNAP benefits. I live in a building full of low-income elderly adults who depend on those benefits, but for the most part, many of us can rely on our insurance benefits cards from Medicare Advantage policies. I can't even begin to imagine what this young family is going through. But believe me, by day four they are food desperate.

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    Roberta Surprenant
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Did anyone else get actual "story"? My feed only shows replies.

    Load More Comments
    Mel in Georgia
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I wonder how many scenarios like this are going down in the US right now. I don't know how struggling families survive these days. 🙁

    Roni Stone
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    All over the country. We're in day four of no SNAP benefits. I live in a building full of low-income elderly adults who depend on those benefits, but for the most part, many of us can rely on our insurance benefits cards from Medicare Advantage policies. I can't even begin to imagine what this young family is going through. But believe me, by day four they are food desperate.

    Load More Replies...
    ADVERTISEMENT
    Roberta Surprenant
    Community Member
    1 month ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Did anyone else get actual "story"? My feed only shows replies.

    Load More Comments
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