18-year-old works in factory 11 PM to 7 AM, parents protest when he sleeps after 3 PM because they want him to babysit: 'I'm dozing off during work'

Ally Perry • Writer and Editor

Oct 31, 2026 8:00 AM EDT

There is a difference between having house rules and implementing unreasonable expectations.

Living with family as a young adult can prove to be difficult. It is a time when you are hopefully taking your first steps towards independence and providing for yourself, but you may still feel constrained by living under the influence of your parents. A good balance between freedom and structure is something that many moms and dads with kids this age are not very good at achieving. Some coddle their kids far more than they should, and others seem to expect them to take on all kinds of overwhelming responsibilities the minute they turn 18.

It can be a lot to deal with alongside all the other challenges of being in this age range, but in this economy especially, a lot of people feel like they have no choice but to stay with family. It is a necessary stepping stone before they can find their own home.

It isn't unreasonable for parents to expect their adult children to help around the house if they live with them; in fact, many would argue that it should be a mandatory condition of this arrangement. However, they have to acknowledge that their contribution should be balanced with everything else that they have going on in their lives. There are only so many chores a person can do every day if they also have to work a full-time job, as well as find the time to do things outside of that.

*_{A young man hugs a pillow while sleeping in bed. Featured likenesses do not identify those mentioned.}*

An 18-year-old switched jobs to work night shifts in a factory, something which he felt was an improvement on his previous job. However, the time he worked took a toll on him, and he needed to sleep for most of the day, as well as have an additional nap in the evening to keep his energy levels up.

His parents disagreed with him taking an additional nap, as they wanted him to help care for his younger siblings in the evening. He felt like they were putting unfair expectations on him, but he wanted validation that he wasn't in the wrong for rebelling against their demands.

I started working a night shift at a factory and my parents don't like how much sleep I'm trying to get

I started working the night shift at a factory from 11 P.M. to 7 A.M. It was a huge upgrade from my last job at a low quality resturaunt where the tempurature was regularly 95°F and made all my clothes smell like frier grease, it pays way better too. I dont have a car yet so I have to ride this bike to and from, going to isnt that much of

a hastle because Im going down hill but still s ks. The real hall is going back home after the 8 hour shift because my legs already hurt and I have to lug that bike up a steep hill after a 20 minute bike ride since I cant peddle it up.

I get home around 35 minutes after I get out of work and before I can take a shower my mom needs to shower, I need to put dishes away from the dishwasher (which isnt bad but sometimes it s ks when I just want to sleep), and get my siblings breakfast if they want it before school and fill their waters. Filling their waters is just something I did to help out in the mornings but now its expected.

He had to get his sleep where he could.

I start sleeping aroung 8:20 A.M. and wake up at 3 P.M. to get my siblings from the bus stop, if I sleep good. After I get them a snack, switch laundry, take out trash, maybe grab something to eat (I always feel like Im going to throw up after I wake up idk why, so I dont usually eat anything). Theres usually a bunch of small stuff like getting the mail and Im not done until 4 P.M. when Ive been going to sleep until I wake up.

I wanted to sleep before I go to work because it makes the shift go by easier and Im not falling asleep during it, but they refused because they want me awake for my afternoon chores where I wash dishes, take out cat litter, take out trash again, refill pet waters, get laundry, switch laundry again, refill sodas. Which all takes around an hour and and half to do depending on if they clean the kitchen or not and how bad it is.

My parents dont want me sleeping after I get my siblings at 3, but on days that I dont, Im dozing off during work and I cant keep my eyes open. My dad says I almost got 7 hours of sleep today and said I dont need that much, but I dont think that adding the afternoon nap to the 6 hours isnt how sleep works but whatever. I dont see what the big

His parents didn't want him to be napping.

deal is, because sleeping after work should let me get a good amount of sleep in without having to wake up before work but rhe exact opposite is happening.

So recently me and my parents have been fighting because I dont care what they think of me sleeping in the afternoon and I do it anyway so that Im not dazed and confused at work. They were complaining that they were getting 6 hours of sleep during the week that they drove me to and from

work because it was way too cold, but they dont want me getting any more than 6. I got 7 hours today and my eyes are still bruning to close 2 and a half hours before I work.

INFO: Im 18 and my siblings are 11 and 7. They fill water bottles and vaccuum the rugs and clean uo dog toys.

Pulling your weight is important in any household, but that has to work with the schedule that you have. If it doesn't, that is a recipe for resentment and disagreements that shouldn't be there. There are usually ways to change things that make them function for everyone.

Cheezburger Image 10673890560 — *_{A factory floor during nighttime. Stock photography for depiction only.}*

It was important for him to catch up on what he missed.

Boo-Boo97 Speaking as someone who worked nights for years, you need to sleep. I had family that was also of the opinion that if I was home then I needed to be productive, completely ignoring the fact that I was at work while they were sleeping. 11 and 7 are plenty old enough to fill their own water bottles and get cereal for

breakfast. 11 is old enough to be helping with laundry and the other chores. Google parentification, thats what your parents are doing to you. Either chores need to be split among everyone or your parents need to actually be parents.

He was being given a level of responsiblity that wasn't necessarily fair.

bythebrook88 If you got a daytime job, who would be getting the siblings' breakfast and picking them up from the bus? Your parents are making you a third parent, and it's wrong. Save up and get out of there so they have to do their own parenting.

He needed to be sharp for work.

KrofftSurvivor NTA They're literally putting your health and life at risk by insisting you don't need sleep why don't they parent their own dn kids

It was a big change in his circadian rhythm.

skatelakai12 NTA. I've been working nights for the past 11 years, and one thing day walkers do not understand, is how important sleep is for us. Getting for 6 hours at night is not the same as is it is during the day. It's already a very unhealthy way to live, why make it even worse?

They didn't understand the situation properly.

nursepenguin36 NTA. I'm betting their hypocritical are getting a full 8 hours a night at least while pawning all of their parenting responsibilities on you. Mom could get up at 6:30 to shower and get everything ready for HER kids. You actually need more sleep when you're younger. At 18 you're still in the range to require a bit more sleep.

He had to work with the sleep that he needed.

Present Jicama 1148 The sleep needs of an 18 year old doing physical labor are way different than a 50 year old (or however old your parents are). Get your sleep.

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