17YO Wants To Move Out, Stepdad Is Annoyed Because She Does Most Of The House Chores

Chores are a very sensitive issue in many households. Quite a few people believe that it’s unfair that they take on the lion’s share of the effort while somebody else gets to enjoy more leisure time. If the right balance isn’t found, it’s bound to lead to a lot of frustration, resentment, and tension among family members.

One anonymous man enraged the AITA online group after sharing how he concocted a plan to get his stepdaughter to not move out so she could continue helping out around the house. His decision? To get her to start paying rent… and then overcharge her in secret. The internet was appalled by this behavior, and many users called the stepdad out. Scroll down for the full story and people’s reactions. Bored Panda has reached out to the author for comment, and we’ll update the article once we hear back from him.

Your children wanting to move out is a bittersweet moment for most parents who will miss them but want them to be independent

Young woman in a green jacket and beanie, looking upset in front of a brick wall, representing tension over chores and rent.

Image credits: Volodymyr Hryshchenko / unsplash (not the actual photo)

One man shocked the internet by revealing how he overcharged his stepdaughter for rent so that she’d stay at home and continue pitching in with the chores

Text conversation discussing a stepdaughter's chores and rent.

Text saying stepfather not seen as parental figure by children, expressing lack of love for them.

Text about a stepdaughter's desire to move out, with her ability to afford it in question.

Text discussing a stepdaughter's helpful chores at home, highlighting the impact of her potential departure.

Stepdaughter in a pink hoodie cleaning her bedroom, illustrating household chores.

Image credits: Oleg Ivanov / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Text discussing stepdaughter overcharged rent for chores, mentioning inflation and increased expenses.

Woman in a knitted sweater handling cash and coins from a wallet, symbolizing overcharged rent.

Image credits: Vitalii Khodzinskyi / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Text discussing stepdaughter discovering overcharged rent from past bills.

Text screenshot discussing overcharged rent and family conflict.

Text screenshot discussing stepdaughter, chores, inheritance, and teaching life lessons.

As the post started getting more and more traction, the man added more context about his family life

Person holding a jar with cash and coins, symbolizing overcharged rent for chores.

Image credits: Vitalii Khodzinskyi / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Text discussing overcharged rent reimbursement and a surprise savings plan.

Text discussing a man's dissatisfaction with chores and his stepchildren, expressing dislike for cleaning tasks.

Image credits: Mindless_Cut7653

The author was very open about the fact that he’s not a big supporter of his stepchildren… nor is he a fan of doing chores himself

Man sleeping on couch amid household chores, with glasses, coffee, and plate nearby, representing chores and rent themes.

Image credits: Chris Lynch / unsplash (not the actual photo)

The vast majority of readers were shocked by the stepdad’s approach. And many internet users weren’t shy about calling him out for his behavior.

Some of the things that the man mentioned that stunned the internet included that he didn’t particularly love his stepchildren and that he hadn’t ever done chores in his life.

“I would like to make it clear I have never cleaned my home and will not be starting now. I do not like the noise of the vacuum or the smell of cleaning products,” he wrote.

“Maybe I went too far by saying I have no love for my stepchildren. I want to make it clear that I like them, they just annoy me as they’re not my blood,” he added in an update.

Nobody should feel like they’re the only person doing the housework. While ‘perfect’ equality when it comes to household tasks is often impossible due to different working hours and other responsibilities, there still needs to be a willingness to make things (more) fair.

A good rule of thumb is that everyone should pitch in with the chores that need doing at the moment, no matter how much or little they work or study.

Another strategy is to divide up the chores by how much someone (dis)likes them. For instance, if you’re not a fan of vacuuming or using anything related to cleaning products, you could focus on buying the groceries, cooking meals for everyone, taking out the trash, doing the laundry, yard work, DIY and maintenance, etc.

Meanwhile, someone who doesn’t particularly mind doing the dishes or vacuuming can do those tasks more often than those who hate them with a fiery passion.

Housework is a touchy subject, but it’s important to find a system that is fair and balanced

Mother and children in kitchen, doing dishes together, focusing on chores and family teamwork.

Image credits: Curated Lifestyle / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Naturally, there will always be chores that everyone dislikes. In those cases, it’s best to have a rotation so that everyone pitches in (read: ‘suffers’) more or less equally.

And if someone in the family has an issue with the division of chores, it’s very important that they speak up. Sometimes, the other people you’re living with might not realize there’s an issue. Other times, it’s a question of rebalancing everyone’s tasks. But broadly speaking, it’s not a good sign if someone at home doesn’t do any chores, despite working very hard to bring in money.

Even in modern times in developed countries, there’s a lot of unfairness when it comes to chores and leisure time.

CNN reports that based on the findings by the Pew Research Center, women still spend more time on housework and childcare than men, even in egalitarian marriages.

“Even as financial contributions have become more equal in marriages, the way couples divide their time between paid work and home life remains unbalanced,” the Center said.

“Husbands in egalitarian marriages spend about 3.5 hours more per week on leisure activities than wives do. Wives in these marriages spend roughly 2 hours more per week on caregiving than husbands do and about 2.5 hours more on housework.”

As per the study, the only case where men spent more time on childcare was when their wives were the sole breadwinners in their family. However, even in this situation, both partners spent an equal amount of time on household chores.

What are your thoughts on the entire situation, dear Pandas? Do you agree with the majority of the readers that the stepdad’s approach to parenting was completely wrong? What words of advice would you give him if you could speak to him directly?

How would you react if you realized that a family member had been overcharging you for rent? When do you think kids should move out of their parents’ home? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

The story took many internet users by surprise, and not in a good way. Many readers called the stepdad out for his toxic behavior

Text exchange discussing stepdaughter's chores and manipulative rent strategy.

Reddit comment criticizing a man for overcharging stepdaughter with rent deception.

Text criticizing manipulation of stepdaughter with overcharged rent for household chores in an online comment section.

Comment criticizing man for overcharging stepdaughter's rent for chores-related reasons.

Comment on tricks for stepdaughter's chores and overcharged rent.

Comment criticizing a man for overcharging rent to his stepdaughter, highlighting his motives related to chores.

Comment criticizing a man's deceitful method to keep his stepdaughter doing chores by lying about rent.

Comment criticizing a man for overcharging stepdaughter rent to make her stay home for chores.

Comment criticizing man for overcharging rent to stepdaughter, suggesting repayment to save marriage.

Reddit comment discussing overcharging rent to stepdaughter for doing chores.

Text conversation about stepdaughter, chores, and overcharged rent to deter her from leaving home.

Reddit comment criticizing a stepfather for overcharging rent to make stepdaughter do chores.

A Reddit comment discusses a stepfather wanting his stepdaughter to stay at home for chores, referencing fairytale themes.

Reddit comment discussing a man overcharging his stepdaughter on rent to ensure she does household chores.

Comment criticizing for overcharging stepdaughter rent.

Reddit comment criticizing man for tricking stepdaughter to do chores, mentions deceit and independence.

User comment criticizing stepfather for tricking stepdaughter with rent to do chores.

Reddit comment criticizing a man's unfair treatment of his stepdaughter over rent and chores.

Online comment criticizing a man for tricking stepdaughter into overcharged rent to keep her home for chores.

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