Navigating adulthood in today’s economy is becoming increasingly challenging, not least for young people desperately trying to make their way independently.

Between soaring rent prices, student loan debt, and the ever-rising cost of living, it’s comes as no surprise that everything requires careful planning and sometimes even some external support.

Though, for one Reddit user, lending a helping hand turned out to bite him in the backside… Keep reading to find out why!

The chores-for-rent deal
One man, identified as NoDivide4576, found himself at the center of a heated debate on parenting philosophy and responsibilities when he shared his approach to supporting his 20-year-old daughter.

Currently living rent-free with her father while attending college, she had initially agreed to an arrangement that both her and NoDivide4576 had agreed was fair – exchanging cooking and cleaning for accommodation.

The daughter, feeling the need to address her concerns, took the matter to her aunt (NoDivide4576’s sister) without her father’s knowledge. “My sister called me, and kind of went off on me, basically saying I’m being too strict and should listen to my daughter,” NoDivide4576 wrote in his post.

He then concluded by asking other Redditors whether he was being too harsh.

Reddit’s response
The online community’s response was generally favorable towards the daughter, with quite a few people accusing the dad of taking advantage of her.

One person wrote: “[You’re the a*****e] for not listening properly to your daughter. You say ‘many people do this, that and the other’, well your daughter is not many people. She is overwhelmed with the sum of her duties right now. She is just asking you not to have to cook some days of the week, so that she may catch up on her school work. Is that so terribly unreasonable? I don’t think so.”

They continued: “You could let her not cook in the weekend, the whole arrangement to be evaluated in three months to see how it works for your family. That would be a reasonable arrangement.”

Someone else agreed, adding: “I was a student that required a lot of time to study…I would reduce her chores so she can do her best with school. You will be very proud when she graduates.”

A further user chimed in with: “It’s sad that [NoDivide4576] is treating this whole situation like it’s a huge favor to their daughter, too. There’s an air of ‘well, if she didn’t do these things, she’d be homeless.’ Like… it sounds like their daughter is really trying her best and pushing herself here. It seems drastic to potentially consider kicking out your own kid who’s very young, working toward a better future for herself, and is evidently willing to help out when she can.”

Hmmm… What would you have done if you were in this father’s position? Let us know in the comments!