After 20 years of overtime, a man drew the line when asked to fund his adult child. His response left them speechless

After working as the sole provider for years and putting both his kids through university, a father now finds himself being asked to contribute even more — this time for his already employed children. u/Standard_Kick_9789 took to Reddit on March 24 to ask if he was wrong for asking his wife to get a job after she pushed for more financial support. He shared that he had been working long hours out of town since the age of 35, averaging about 56 hours a week, while his wife was a stay-at-home mom caring for the house and their two kids. The post has received 22k upvotes so far.

Now at 55 years old, he decided to switch to an office job within the same company, moving into a 9-5 city job with 40 hours a week. While the job offered better hourly rates and compensation, his overall income went down since there was no overtime work. He also shared how his family budgeted and the mortgage and bills were paid using his take-home pay after taxes. "We paid into the kids' college funds. Then into our retirement fund. Then we topped up our retirement account. We put money into our emergency fund. Then whatever was left, we split 50/50. Our tax refund was our vacation fund," he wrote.

After all the budgeting, the man assured his wife that they still had enough money in the bank to live a comfortable life, but she was not happy. She complained that their kids were "struggling," but here's the unbelievable part. He had put both his children through university, and they graduated with their respective degrees and are currently working. On top of that, they are living at home, rent-free, but they wanted their own cars and apartments. The man said that they were perfectly capable of purchasing their own cars and apartments. "They just won't be getting luxury cars and huge apartments," he said.

He said that he wanted to live a slow life at the age of 55 and not worry about finances anymore. After working hard all these years, the house mortgage has been paid, he and his wife drove three-year-old cars that are still under warranty, and he did not have to pay any more educational fees. Both of them had a budget of $1000 to spend every month, and he was saving his money for a new garage/shop.

His wife, on the other hand, gave her money to the children and hinted that he should do the same. This is where he drew the line. He wrote, "I told her to get a job. She is only forty-six. She can go to work and give them her salary." He would still provide the housing and food, but they thought he was "cruel" for even suggesting it. He added, "One of the little sh*ts said I was being lazy by cutting my hours so much."

There are some obvious perks for young adults who still live with their parents. They have better opportunities to save money, lower expenses, and, in some cases, free housing. A study from the Pew Research Center revealed that 18% of young adults between the ages of 25 and 34 years old are still living with their parents in 2023. Out of these, 20% are men and 15% are women. The cities with the majority of young adults living with their parents include California, Texas, and Florida. However, expecting your parents to fund your lifestyle as working adults isn't realistic.

The majority of the people were on his side, saying that he was not being cruel for suggesting that his wife get a job. u/lebleudesreves commented, "It's her choice to give her part of the money to the kids instead of telling them to go get a job or to find a job herself. I understand that you guys had an agreement so she can stay at home and take care of the kids. They are grown-ups now, so time to be adults too. You have done enough. Let them face a bit of reality now." u/Exotic-Rooster4427 advised, "Papa bear, you have done enough. Tell your kids they have 6 months to figure their life plan and move out. You have overworked yourself long enough and, as a result, have created entitled children."

More on Scoop Upworthy

'Entitled' wife gets a reality check from husband for refusing to clear bill at grocery store

Entitled man divorces wife to make her appreciate him more but ends up regretting it

Husband wrote a performance review for his wife, sparking fierce debate