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“It Shouldn’t Be Gone”: Teen Drags Mother To Court Over $30k She “Wasted” While She Was A Child
One of the signs of adulthood is having and managing your own money. In the U.S., 45% of young adults aged 18 to 26 say they’re completely financially independent from their parents. Yet, not everyone has that luxury, especially if their parents mismanaged money meant for them while they were kids.
One young woman claimed that exactly this happened to her. She said that her parent wasted the $30,000 in her childhood payouts and only $524 was left. That’s why she refused to attend Christmas. However, people’s reactions weren’t as she had hoped: netizens didn’t side with her this time.
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Image credits: PhotoVolcano / envato (not the actual photo)
The parent, according to her, mismanaged her childhood funds and refused to admit that she did it
Image credits: heatherdeffense / envato (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Puzzled-Idea8462
Eligible Alaska residents use PFDs for different necessities, and they have become essential in many people’s lives
The comment section under this story was buzzing with people arguing about whether the mother used the PFD money appropriately. Is it meant as a fund for a child that is given to them once they reach 18, or is the parent free to use it for childcare purposes until then?
PFD stands for the Alaskan Permanent Fund Dividend. The APF, Alaskan Permanent Fund, is a state-run fund that manages the surplus revenue from the money from the government’s oil and gas reserves. Essentially, the APF invests the money it receives and gives away a portion of it to eligible Alaskan residents.
Who is eligible for the money? Residents who have lived in the state for at least a year and plan to do so indefinitely are eligible. Also, applicants who have committed any criminal activities become automatically ineligible.
In 2025, every eligible resident was to receive $1,000, and over 600,000 Alaskans were said to be recipients. However, it is also the smallest sum in five years. In 2024, for example, the dividend was about $1,700. Since its inception in 1982, the amount has varied between $1,000 and $2,000.
Residents use this money in different ways. Some buy essentials for winter, like fuel and food, or pay for “wish list” items, such as a new TV. Other Alaskans use it for essentials like groceries and paying bills. Granted, other folks put it into their college funds or cover student loans.
Either way, it has become essential in many Alaskans’ lives. “At all stages and in various states of employment it made a difference in different ways,” Alaska resident Nathan Zierfuss-Hubbard told Business Insider. “As a child it contributed to the family’s income and was often translated into paying for school clothes or supplies. It helped with unplanned bills and the higher cost of living.”
Alaska is a fairly expensive state to raise children
Image credits: EyeEm / freepik (not the actual photo)
But does the money Alaskans receive from the APF need to be used like the teen in this story says it does? Was the mother supposed to save it for her until she finally turns 18? If there’s no court order to do so (like there was in this story), then probably not. If the recipient of the PFD has to pay child support and fails to do so, the Alaska Child Support Enforcement Division collects that money.
But the dilemma here for some commenters seems to be more ethical than legal since, as the teen clarified later, the mother did legally misstep by not replenishing the funds. Many pointed out that it takes much more than the fund offers to raise a child.
Experts estimate that in the U.S., raising a kid costs around $21,681 a year nowadays. Over 18 years, that amounts to about $389,000 in total. It also matters what state you live in, of course. In the most expensive U.S. state, Massachusetts, raising a child costs $36,000 annually. In contrast, raising kids in Mississippi is only $16,151. Over 18 years, the difference is staggering: $439,000. In Alaska, this cost was around $32,947 in 2025.
But what do you think, Pandas? Should the mother have saved the money until the daughter turns 18, even if she wasn’t ordered by the court to do so? Or if there’s some information missing and the teen is holding a grudge against her parent and being too unfair and petty? Let us know your opinions in the comments!
The daughter’s main issue was that her parent wasn’t following court orders
Surprisingly, many people thought the daughter was being a jerk in this situation: “That money wasn’t yours”
Some tried to explain that the PFD money in Alaska isn’t like an inheritance
“Don’t let anyone guilt you,” others wrote, agreeing with the OP that the mother mismanaged her funds
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What do you think ?
Becky Samuel 1 week ago
This is the problem if an unreliable narrator. We have no way of knowing whether this is a case of a selfish and neglectful mother, or a mother who just didn't keep meticulous records as mandated by a court. It feels to me like there is manipulation of the situation from the other parent to turn the child against their mother.
David Andrews 1 week ago
The whole "court ordered her to replenish it" sounds a bit off to begin with. It's not like the money is a trust where the funds are being held till the child is an adult, PFD payments are made to the parents, and they can spend those funds as they see fit. There are no strings or conditions that the funds need to go to the child, so why would a court stipulate as part of the divorce that they need to be set aside and any spending replenished.
Load More Replies...
Motivated sloth 1 week ago
This girl won’t read or actually consider any point of view that doesn’t align with her own. Everyone that tried to explain to her that she shouldn’t have expected to collect a check at 18, and that the $125/month was obviously spent on her welfare, just receives a response backing her own point of view and disagreeing with them completely. This is really sad actually. I feel so bad for her mom.
Ben Aziza 5 days ago
20k in fuko pop tho really??? If that is indeed true then yeh i feel reddit was mass gaslighting the kid. not aligning... why are so many pll aligned about this story that parents are manipulating her? Where did that even come from? Why is that the go to?
Load More Replies...
Mari 1 week ago (edited)
To raise a kid it costs a fortune. If the mom provided her with everything, the daughter should not complain. A kid costs more than 140$ a month. People who are rich enough can put the money aside. But most households use that money to pay bills or buying groceries.
Natalia 1 week ago
It's her legal obligation to pay for what her child needs, that's what being a parent is
Load More Replies...
Pandaodboredem22 1 week ago
This is as wild as suing a parent for child support spent. It's not an inheritance with a clause- to be paid out to OP on their 18th birthday. OP must really hate their Mom to be willing to sue over this. I'd countersue for all the money and time I invested in my child over 18 years if they were willing to do this to me.
Chris the Bobcat 1 week ago
If the mother spent the money on the daughter's care, it is justified. And unless everything was paid for in cash (unlikely), there should be a paper trail of some sort. The issue (IMO) is whether or not the money was spent for the benefit of the child. That paper trail might show withdrawals made just before some frivolous purchases, which could indicate misuse. Or said withdrawals could coincide with some sort of wellness bill, such as school supplies or medical costs. I think whatever her point of view and its legitimacy, she could do well to find out how the money was spent, given what sounds like her parents' spending habits.
LilliVB 1 week ago
We are talking about 133$ pro month. I get more from the government for my child where I live. And I don't save it for him. As it's attached to our salary, it's just that as parents we have a slightly higher salary than people without children. It goes in our household saving, saving for all the family. But it's out of our money that comes not only all the necessities but also all the extras for our child. Paying for him doing sports, for his hobbies and fun activities, for his allowance so he has a little money for himself to budget and doing whatever he wants. For school trips and summer vacations (just for him, not vacation that we take part in). Considering this, yes I spend the money the government gives us for our kid towards our kid, but I obviously don't keep records of it. And I hope I won't raise my child to believe that he's entitled to have it when he's 18.
Anne Roberts 1 week ago (edited)
Raising children is expensive. I can understand how her mother used the money for her daughter growing up. However, it seems as if they didn't talk about how the money was used or if there would be some leftover. It seems like she was hoping for a small windfall when she turned 18 and it wasn't there. My ex and I divorced when our kids were young and I worked two jobs while also receiving child support, but there was often not enough to go around. With kids there is always something new - school activities, braces, clothing that is quickly outgrown, increased rent, etc. It's the sort of thing that should have been discussed years ago. Also, an 18 year old is still a child in many ways. To all the commenters saying YTA, give the kid a break. I sure didn't know everything about how the world worked when I was 18.
Sarah Ellison 1 week ago
The benefit OP is talking about is something ALL residents of Alaska get. So Mom was getting her check from the government every month too and STILL spending OPs check as well, despite having a court order that if she does that, the money needs to be returned. The YTAs and some of the commenters here are not understanding what the PFD is.
Becky Samuel 1 week ago
This is the problem if an unreliable narrator. We have no way of knowing whether this is a case of a selfish and neglectful mother, or a mother who just didn't keep meticulous records as mandated by a court. It feels to me like there is manipulation of the situation from the other parent to turn the child against their mother.
David Andrews 1 week ago
The whole "court ordered her to replenish it" sounds a bit off to begin with. It's not like the money is a trust where the funds are being held till the child is an adult, PFD payments are made to the parents, and they can spend those funds as they see fit. There are no strings or conditions that the funds need to go to the child, so why would a court stipulate as part of the divorce that they need to be set aside and any spending replenished.
Load More Replies... Motivated sloth 1 week ago
This girl won’t read or actually consider any point of view that doesn’t align with her own. Everyone that tried to explain to her that she shouldn’t have expected to collect a check at 18, and that the $125/month was obviously spent on her welfare, just receives a response backing her own point of view and disagreeing with them completely. This is really sad actually. I feel so bad for her mom.
Ben Aziza 5 days ago
20k in fuko pop tho really??? If that is indeed true then yeh i feel reddit was mass gaslighting the kid. not aligning... why are so many pll aligned about this story that parents are manipulating her? Where did that even come from? Why is that the go to?
Load More Replies... Mari 1 week ago (edited)
To raise a kid it costs a fortune. If the mom provided her with everything, the daughter should not complain. A kid costs more than 140$ a month. People who are rich enough can put the money aside. But most households use that money to pay bills or buying groceries.
Natalia 1 week ago
It's her legal obligation to pay for what her child needs, that's what being a parent is
Load More Replies... Pandaodboredem22 1 week ago
This is as wild as suing a parent for child support spent. It's not an inheritance with a clause- to be paid out to OP on their 18th birthday. OP must really hate their Mom to be willing to sue over this. I'd countersue for all the money and time I invested in my child over 18 years if they were willing to do this to me.
Chris the Bobcat 1 week ago
If the mother spent the money on the daughter's care, it is justified. And unless everything was paid for in cash (unlikely), there should be a paper trail of some sort. The issue (IMO) is whether or not the money was spent for the benefit of the child. That paper trail might show withdrawals made just before some frivolous purchases, which could indicate misuse. Or said withdrawals could coincide with some sort of wellness bill, such as school supplies or medical costs. I think whatever her point of view and its legitimacy, she could do well to find out how the money was spent, given what sounds like her parents' spending habits.
LilliVB 1 week ago
We are talking about 133$ pro month. I get more from the government for my child where I live. And I don't save it for him. As it's attached to our salary, it's just that as parents we have a slightly higher salary than people without children. It goes in our household saving, saving for all the family. But it's out of our money that comes not only all the necessities but also all the extras for our child. Paying for him doing sports, for his hobbies and fun activities, for his allowance so he has a little money for himself to budget and doing whatever he wants. For school trips and summer vacations (just for him, not vacation that we take part in). Considering this, yes I spend the money the government gives us for our kid towards our kid, but I obviously don't keep records of it. And I hope I won't raise my child to believe that he's entitled to have it when he's 18.
Anne Roberts 1 week ago (edited)
Raising children is expensive. I can understand how her mother used the money for her daughter growing up. However, it seems as if they didn't talk about how the money was used or if there would be some leftover. It seems like she was hoping for a small windfall when she turned 18 and it wasn't there. My ex and I divorced when our kids were young and I worked two jobs while also receiving child support, but there was often not enough to go around. With kids there is always something new - school activities, braces, clothing that is quickly outgrown, increased rent, etc. It's the sort of thing that should have been discussed years ago. Also, an 18 year old is still a child in many ways. To all the commenters saying YTA, give the kid a break. I sure didn't know everything about how the world worked when I was 18.
Sarah Ellison 1 week ago
The benefit OP is talking about is something ALL residents of Alaska get. So Mom was getting her check from the government every month too and STILL spending OPs check as well, despite having a court order that if she does that, the money needs to be returned. The YTAs and some of the commenters here are not understanding what the PFD is.
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