Graduating high school is one milestone moment when 18-year-olds get their first taste of adulthood. While most teenagers get a bit of a grace period with their parents that allows them to get on their feet and make a life plan, others aren’t quite so lucky.
A mother decided that her daughter would be one of the unlucky teenagers. She shared on TikTok that her daughter was about to graduate high school and she expected to start contributing to the household bills the day after she got her diploma because that made her officially an adult.
A mother expected her teenage daughter to contribute to the household bills the day after she graduated from high school.
“Now that my daughter has graduated and she is 18, I told her that she has to start paying rent. She has to pay for all her own activities, her gas, her food. I told her that I will cook breakfast, lunch and dinner, but everything in between or anything else, she has to decide or contribute to the food,” the mother said in her video.
She explained that everything else is now her daughter’s responsibility and she is required to get a job while also attending school. She made sure to tell her daughter that since she has classes, she has to work a minimum of 30 hours a week. This has become their family’s new normal because her daughter has turned 18 and now nothing is free anymore.
“When she didn’t graduate yet, it was still time. You know, I was still helping out. But now that she’s graduated and done, free-riding is over. You know, it’s time to grow up,” she continued.
People in the comments were amazed at the level of responsibility she put on her daughter who had barely started life. Many pointed out that this was a sure way for her daughter to end up resenting her, while others insisted that in this economy these expectations are going to be hard to live up to.
Many young people move back in with their parents to save money.
Andrii Iemelianenko | Shutterstock
For many young adults, the thought of moving out is not as easy as it once was. In fact, 7 out of 10 young adults have raised their relocation savings goals in the past year, pressured by rates, inflation and rising rents.
In addition, 2 in 3 young adults have delayed or rejected at least one major life milestone because they could not afford to move out, including job opportunities, higher education and relationships.
This idea that a newly turned 18-year-old who has just graduated from high school must now be fully financially responsible for himself is perhaps a little unrealistic.
Parents are still supporting their adult children now more than ever.
According to a study by Savings.comat least 50% of parents are currently financially supporting at least one of their adult children. While $1,384 was the average contribution from parents for children age 18 and older in 2024, that figure has risen to $1,474 in 2025.
“I think several factors have led to parents helping their grown children,” explained Certified Financial Planner Den Murley. “Broadly speaking, the rate at which the cost of living has risen, along with the known culprits of inflation and student debt, is forcing people to evaluate their sources of cash flow. Another potential factor is people’s willingness to evaluate their spending habits.”
Given that parents support their adult children in such large numbers, it is clear that young adults cannot even stand on their own financially even if they really wanted to. There should be a little more leniency for recent high school grads and even college graduates so they can at least find their footing before they are suddenly expected to start contributing to a household and to a family that should really be supporting them.
Nia Tipton is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics focusing on psychology, relationships and the human experience.
