We'd love it if all families could be these perfect images of unconditional love, but sometimes that isn't the case.
In fact, sometimes it feels like parents cannot wait for their kids to grow up enough to move out of the house.
Redditor zeg685 asked:
"What do you think of the parents that kick their kids out as soon as they have turned 18 years old?"
Not the Norm Everywhere
"They're not Italian, that's for sure."
"Here in Italy, when the 'child' is finally ready to leave the house at the age of 35, the family gets together to bid them a tearful goodbye... before they move one kilometer away from their parent's house."
- arsenal7777
The Ones Without Visitors
"I wonder how many parents realize their relationship with their kids is somewhat quid pro quo."
"It feels a bit sociopathic of me to say, but take care of your kids and invest in their futures and lives. Rewarding in itself, yes, but ultimately, one day, you're gonna be old and unable to wipe your own a**, and if your kid hates you, he's not going to do it."
"H**l, I love my parents, but I still am not looking forward to those times."
- Blitzus
The Math Isn't Mathin'
"I still find it hard to understand why they kick them out at 18. They're barely out of school and most of them are not even prepared for the world."
"Do they magically mature and gain every skill needed to survive at 18? The animosity towards their own kids is just so appalling."
- nawangpalden
The Least They Could Do
"Even if you are that ready to get rid of them, why aren’t you letting them know that you are kicking them out so they better prepare to get their stuff In order before then? Why wait until the day they turn 18 to surprise them so they have absolutely no plans to move out? At the very least, give them a good heads-up and let them know you are serious. That is the least you could do."
- tigress666
When Karma Comes Around
"A girl from my class came home after our grad night party to find two garbage bags with her stuff in them. They didn't even tie it so when it rained that night it filled up the bags with water and destroyed her laptop, pictures, and clothing."
"Her parents showed up at her house last year on Independence Day because their house burned down from a firework mishap. I'm told the husband just asked them to leave. Oh, and I should add they didn't have insurance on the home so they were pretty much screwed."
- SupremeCultist
Money Management
"Once we were working full-time, if we were still at home, my Dad would charge a nominal rent to get us used to managing our money. He would just put it into an account and give it back upon moving out."
"Although if we did move back home, he'd no longer charge since we had experience and could save on our own."
- metalbassist33
From Generation to Generation
"I can’t imagine having to deal with some of the parents in this thread. My Dad lost a place to live at his parents’ house for the summer his last year of college and luckily my Mom’s parents let him stay in their basement. From what my parents told me my Dad was devastated by this."
"My parents’ rule was we would have a place to stay without paying rent as long as we were in school or after we graduated while we were getting our first job. I really appreciated their support and not needing to worry about housing during the summers while I was in college. Will be doing the same with my three kids."
- Dougeefargo
What Relationship Were They Expecting?
"I got kicked out of my mom's house at 15 because my mom was a headcase, and my OCD went off the scale because of the mental abuse. Dad didn't want to take me in and told me so, but my stepmom forced his hand. The day I graduated HS, my stuff was on the lawn with the locks changed."
"Then I had to live with years of angry messages on the answering machine, 'How come you never call?!?! Why do you hate our family?!?!'"
"I even got accused last week by a family member that I made the whole thing up when she was trying to tell me that I'm a bad person for ignoring my mom. The level of the narcissism of some people is unbelievable."
- ChiAnndego
You Can Stay If...
"I grew up with my mom constantly telling me that her retirement plan was for me to get rich and for her to move in with me."
"When I was well into adulthood and that was obviously not going to happen (and we were not getting along at all), I finally got it through her head that I was absolutely never going to be able to afford to support financially, and we'd kill each other if we lived together."
"Not long after that, she stopped talking to me. It was good to see that she only saw me as a potential pile of money and nothing else."
- sybrwookie
Sometimes White Lies Are Okay!
"My boyfriend got kicked out at 18, and his parents literally said to his face, 'Since you were an accident and we didn't mean to have you, we need you out of the house now so we can actually relax like we used to before you were born.'"
"Anyway, I think extremely badly of them."
- troll--boy
Law-Abiding or Whatever
"Kicking out your kid as soon as you're legally allowed to do so tells me you wanted them out of the house even earlier and the only reason you didn't do it is because you didn't want to be arrested."
- Frankie__
No Home, No Funeral
"My brother was out before 18 and I was out at 18, and my dad didn't even have a funeral."
"That should tell you about all you need to know about parents who kick their kids out as soon as possible."
- Ponk_Bonk
What More Could They Want
"I graduated fifth in my class academically, placed in states in sports my junior and senior year, and held a part-time job on weekends. Sometimes I’d get home at midnight after a tournament and then work my job at 5 AM the next day."
"I was kicked out less than two weeks after turning 18, started college two months later after couch surfing, and now my parents and I rarely talk. They still can’t figure out why they don’t see their grandkids often."
"I mean, not being conceited, but what the f**k else was I suppose to be doing not to get kicked out?"
- FrankAdamGabe
Break the Cycle
"I cut all ties after they kicked me out. They both died young. My life was rough for a while but it all turned out okay."
"And now I’m the adult, and my oldest is 20. He’s still at home rent-free while he pursues his career and education. I’ll do the same for the other four."
"We bought a new house when my oldest was 19 and we specifically made sure he had a room where he could feel comfortable to stay here and have his own space."
- Any_Monitor5224
Send the Right Message
"Dad kicked me out at 16, and I haven’t spoken to him in like two and a half years. My mom and I text once every other month at the most. And I moved across the country the day I turned 18 and never looked back."
"If you are a parent and you want a relationship with your kids, they need to know they are safe with you and that they have a place in your home. Kicking them out won't teach them that."
- Wicked_Twist
It should be a bittersweet moment for parents when their children are old enough to move out and start lives of their own that are not created by their parents, but that shouldn't be the goal.
It seems like some parents cannot wait for the day when their kids will move out, forced or otherwise, and we cannot help but wonder what their motivations were in having children in the first place.
