While living with your parents as an adult has generally been frowned upon in the past, there are a few main reasons why people opt to move back home nowadays (the largest being the high cost of living).
But for this man’s daughter, it was a breakup that pushed her to go back home in July. And now, he’s annoyed that she wants him and his wife to pay for a Wi-Fi extender for her remote job.
For some background, he and his wife love their daughter and have a strong relationship. That’s why they were fine with welcoming her back home in July, when she wanted to stay with them temporarily.
“We are more than happy to help, and she can stay as long as she needs to,” he said.
The only issue is that since then, his daughter has begun complaining about the Wi-Fi in their home. Apparently, she works remotely, and the spotty coverage has been impacting her job.
His daughter is supposedly frugal, too, and asked him and his wife to foot the bill for a Wi-Fi extender that would reach her bedroom. In response, they just laughed and told her, “No way.”
He admits that their Wi-Fi, offered by AT&T, is hit or miss at the far ends of his large house. But while he understands where his daughter is coming from, he also thinks she’s a grown woman with a good job and solid savings who can cover the expense herself.
In fact, she’s in the 28 to 30 age bracket, and he believes that she’s “significantly ahead” of her peers in terms of finances.
“My wife and I are retired empty nesters, and our Wi-Fi works perfectly for us,” he reasoned.
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“She also has other options to connect (plenty of room in the finished basement), but doesn’t like to work there due to the furniture (two rooms) or lack of windows (other two rooms).”
Honestly, he and his wife can afford to buy the extender as well. They just find it upsetting that their daughter won’t purchase or rent the item herself, especially because she doesn’t pay any other bills at their house.
In fact, his daughter isn’t being charged rent and doesn’t have to buy groceries aside from certain items to meet her dietary restrictions. He and his wife even cook or buy dinner six days per week, while his daughter is only expected to cook one night.
On top of all this, they’re also going on a family vacation in a month, and they are footing the bill for everything, including the flights, hotel, rental car, meals, and tickets to attractions.
“We believe her asking/expecting us to pay for this ‘since it’s our house’ is over the top,” he vented.
“We get that children get used to parents paying for everything, but this one has us alternately laughing out loud and scratching our heads.”
Regardless, his daughter is actually refusing to get the extender herself “on principle,” and he and his wife are doing the same. This stalemate has pushed him to question whether standing their ground is justified or not paying for the Wi-Fi upgrade makes him and his wife jerks.
Do you agree that the Wi-Fi extender should come out of his daughter’s own pocket? Does it sound like they need to set firmer financial boundaries if she’s going to be living with them?
AITA – Adult daughter lives for free with us, wants us to pay to upgrade wifi for her
by inAmItheAsshole
By Katharina Buczek
Katharina Buczek graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Digital Arts. Specializing in... More about Katharina Buczek
