'You're an adult, figure it out': Estranged 24-year-old refuses to financially support his parents after they kicked him out of the house as a teen, matching their energy with cold spite

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Aug 3, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

While we're all technically "adults" at 18 years old, many teenagers are still children at heart. Even after a lifetime of being treated like a person way beyond his years, this 18-year-old still felt like a kid, but his parents didn't seem to think so and, quite frankly, were tired of supporting him financially. Alas, like a fledgling booted out of the nest too soon, this boy was kicked out of the house the day after his "adulthood" birthday. 

Now, 6 years later and after picking himself up from his bootstraps in a solo mission towards maturity, this man is now comfortably successful. But he won't let his parents forget the day they dumped him... Especially when they come crawling out of the woodwork asking for money. 

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    via Konstantin

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • AITA for refusing to give my parents money now, after they kicked me out at 18?
    via CrispyTheory
  • So I (24M) was kicked out of the house by my parents literally the day I turned 18. No warning, no support just "you're an adult now, figure it out." I didn't have savings, no job lined up, no backup plan. I slept in my car for a bit, couch surfed, and did everything I could just to survive.
    via CrispyTheory
  • Fast forward a few years through a lot of struggle, I built my life back. Got a stable job, picked up some valuable skills, and now I'm finally financially comfortable.
    via CrispyTheory
  • Here's the thing: my parents recently reached out and asked if I could help them with their bills. Apparently they're going through a rough patch. I didn't immediately say no, but I did ask "Why now?"
    via CrispyTheory
  • They acted like nothing ever happened and said, "We're still your parents. Family helps family." I told them that family doesn't abandon you the moment you become inconvenient. That they chose to let me go when I was most vulnerable and now I'm simply returning the same energy.
    via CrispyTheory
  • They said I was being cold, holding a grudge, and that "it's time to grow up and let go of the past." But honestly... how do you just forget being thrown out with nothing?
    via CrispyTheory
  • So yeah. I didn't send any money. Now my extended family is split some think I'm being cruel, others say I owe them nothing. AITA?
    via CrispyTheory

  • It's not every day that a kid outgrows their parent, but once a person realizes they're far more emotionally mature than they're predecessors, they can finally be free. Unburdened by the family drama, this man set sail on his solo mission through life, happily cutting the anchor's rope that always dragged him down.

  • Bolha2. Family helps family unless it's you turning 18 and they can toss you out on the streets to go figure it out? Sure. Let them go figure out their financial problems alone.
    via Bolha2
  • wispmintz⚫ NTA. They treated you like a stranger when you needed them most, now they're shocked you're not acting like their son? Actions have consequences. "Family helps family" goes both ways, and they dropped the ball first.
    via wispmintz
  • United-Manner20 NTA - "they are adults, they can figure it out" give them the same energy and assistance that they gave you
    via United-Manner20
  • anonanon-do-do-d Go with one of the classics. Cold? "Revenge is a dish best served cold" - Khan
    via anonanon-do-do-d
  • Future-Nebula74656. The extended family that things are being cruel they're the ones that can do the family helps family cr p I always find that saying is so that someone gets ran over
    via Future-Nebula74656
  • Almost-Uncirculated I'm pretty sure they already gave you the answer: "you're an adult, figure it out"
    via Almost-Uncirculated

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