In a time of increased frustration with our public school system, a 2nd grader is giving us someplace to channel our frustrations.
In a hilarious video rant, a youngster named Taylor shared a story that has folks ready to go to the mat for her and her beloved, pink, perfect attendance pencil.
Instagrammer @tabgeezy shared a video of her daughter telling the story of how she put her perfect attendance pencil—the pink one that she had legitimately earned—in the classroom box of pencils to be sharpened.
But when she went to retrieve it from the sharpened pencils box, all she found were plain yellow pencils. That’s because Lizzie—who, by the way, had not earned a perfect attendance pencil because she had gone to CANADA—was using it. And not only that, but Canada Lizzie then lost Taylor’s pencil in her desk, and her teacher was no help.
You have to hear Taylor tell it to understand why this travesty of justice has gone viral.
If you think this pencil battle is of no consequence whatsoever, think again. People on Twitter got hold of the video, and folks are rallying behind Taylor as if that pink pencil is our democracy and Taylor and Lizzie are the House and Senate.
All I am saying is that if Lizzy wanted a pink Perfect Attendance pencil then she shouldn't have gone to CANADA.#JusticeForThePencil— Gail Simone 💙💛 (@GailSimone) January 31, 2020
There were some shout-outs to Taylor’s classmate who understood what that pencil meant to her.
shout out to reece who was the only one who understood the gravity of the situation. don't let me see lizzie in the streets! https://t.co/bO5DAoeTbf— in charge of the girls (@AmeriKraut) January 31, 2020
But Taylor’s teacher certainly wasn’t getting any love.
Twitter’s collective reaction even started getting its own GIFs.
All of Twitter getting ready to go ask Lizzie, who was in Canada, about a certain pink perfect attendance pencil https://t.co/xwIBRzYFF5— Shane (@McClellandShane) January 31, 2020
Twitter uniting to get her perfect attendance pencil back from Lizzie because she went to Canada and DID NOT earn it: pic.twitter.com/4U9qFgB6Jm— Sarah (@sarahnicoleguy) January 31, 2020
People had so. many. feelings. about baby girl getting back her pencil, about the way her mom and teacher dismissed it as “just a pencil,” and about poor little Lizzie who probably still doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about.
Why do we care so much? Adorableness aside, we’re all a little burned out on politics and the methodical dismantling of our country’s checks and balances, so maybe getting charged up over an adorable little girl’s pencil injustice somehow feels cathartic.
John Delaney dropped out of the race… Meh!
There’s a Presidential impeachment… Yawn.
Someone stole a little girl’s perfect attendance pencil.
A single door can open up a world of endless possibilities. For homeowners, the front door of their house is a gateway to financial stability, job security, and better health. Yet for many, that door remains closed. Due to the rising costs of housing, 1 in 3 people around the world wake up without the security of safe, affordable housing.
Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity has made it their mission to unlock and open the door to opportunity for families everywhere, and their efforts have paid off in a big way. Through their work over the past 50 years, more than 65 million people have gained access to new or improved housing, and the movement continues to gain momentum. Since 2011 alone, Habitat for Humanity has expanded access to affordable housing by a hundredfold.
A world where everyone has access to a decent home is becoming a reality, but there’s still much to do. As they celebrate 50 years of building, Habitat for Humanity is inviting people of all backgrounds and talents to be part of what comes next through Let’s Open the Door, a global campaign that builds on this momentum and encourages people everywhere to help expand access to safe, affordable housing for those who need it most. Here’s how the foundation to a better world starts with housing, and how everyone can pitch in to make it happen.
Volunteers raise a wall for the framework of a new home during the first day of building at Habitat for Humanity’s 2025 Carter Work Project.
Globally, almost 3 billion people, including 1 in 6 U.S. families, struggle with high costs and other challenges related to housing. A crisis in itself, this also creates larger problems that affect families and communities in unexpected ways. People who lack affordable, stable housing are also more likely to experience financial hardship in other areas of their lives, since a larger share of their income often goes toward rent, utilities, and frequent moves. They are also more likely to experience health problems due to chronic stress or environmental factors, such as mold. Housing insecurity also goes hand-in-hand with unstable employment, since people may need to move further from their jobs or switch jobs altogether to offset the cost of housing.
Affordable homeownership creates a stable foundation for families to thrive, reducing stress and increasing the likelihood for good health and stable employment. Habitat for Humanity builds and repairs homes with individual families, but it also strengthens entire communities as well. The MicroBuild® Initiative, for example, strengthens communities by increasing access to loans for low-income families seeking to build or repair their homes. Habitat ReStore locations provide affordable appliances and building materials to local communities, in addition to creating job and volunteer opportunities that support neighborhood growth.
Marsha and her son pose for a photo while building their future home with Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity in Georgia.
Everyone can play a part in the fight for housing equity and the pursuit of a better world. Over the past 50 years, Habitat for Humanity has become a leader in global housing thanks to an engaged network of volunteers—but you don’t need to be skilled with a hammer to make a meaningful impact. Building an equitable future means calling on a wide range of people and talents.
Here’s how you can get involved in the global housing movement:
Speaking up on social media about the growing housing crisis
Volunteering on a Habitat for Humanity build in your local community
Travel and build with Habitat in the U.S. or in one of 60+ countries where we work around the globe
Join the Let’s Open the Door movement and, when you donate, you can create your own personalized door
Every action, big and small, drives a global movement toward a better future. A safe home unlocks opportunity for families and communities alike, but it’s volunteers and other supporters, working together with a shared vision, who can open the door for everyone.
https://www.canva.com/photos/MAG3IPmP7w8-father-and-son-reading-book-together-on-sofa-at-home/A quote about reading fairytales to children is often attributed to Albert Einstein.
German physicist Albert Einstein was a genius. Many people view him as a wise authority on life advice and wisdom, and numerous Albert Einstein quotes are now famous.
One topic he shared his insights on is parenting. Einstein was a father of three, and he shared his thoughts on how to raise resilient kids.
But there is one parenting quote often attributed to Einstein that he did not say. The topic: how to make children more intelligent.
Einstein’s misattributed quote
The famous quote people assume Einstein said is:
“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”
However, the quote has not been verified as directly coming from Einstein. Folklorist Stephen Winick at the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress explained the “folklore” behind the quote and how it’s been spread throughout the years.
The story about Einstein’s fairytale quote
According to Winick, Einstein may in fact have said the quote (or a version of it), but it was likely misconstrued throughout the years.
“As a result of this oral, print, and electronic transmission, the story of Einstein advocating fairy tales resembles other folk stories: it exists in multiple versions that vary in their details,” he explained.
He traced the history of Einstein’s quote using the Library of Congress resources, noting that the quote was first shared in print in 1958 by librarian Elizabeth Margulis in an article titled “Fairy Tales and More Fairy Tales” in the New Mexico Library Bulletin.
Margulis shared a story about an interaction she heard about between Einstein and another woman, where the woman asked him advice on how to help her son become a scientist:
“In Denver I heard a story about a woman who was friendly with the late Dr. Einstein, surely acknowledged as an outstanding ‘pure’ scientist. She wanted her child to become a scientist, too, and asked Dr. Einstein for his suggestions for the kind of reading the child might do in his school years to prepare him for this career. To her surprise Dr. Einstein recommended ‘fairy tales and more fairy tales.’ The mother protested this frivolity and asked for a serious answer, but Dr. Einstein persisted, adding that creative imagination is the essential element in the intellectual equipment of the true scientist, and that fairy tales are the childhood stimulus of this quality! (p.3)”
The story shared by Margulis has been the crux of the quote’s origin, but it was not a firsthand account. Winick adds that her story was then re-shared by another famous children’s librarian in 1958, and another version of the story was given in a 1963 library publication by author Doris Gates, furthering its spread.
Winick cites an article by children’s librarian Jane Buel Bradley to explain:
“…Doris Gates, writer and children’s librarian, reports that Albert Einstein told an anxious mother who wanted to help her child become a scientist: ‘First, give him fairy tales; second, give him fairy tales, and third, give him fairy tales!’”
Since the 1960s, the quote has continued to take on a life of its own. However, evidence of Einstein ever saying it has yet to be confirmed.
A recent viral video on TikTok is a unique twist on the current discussion surrounding names. Samantha Hart has a name that doesn’t seem like it would draw any negative attention in professional circles. However, her parents didn’t consider email conventions when they named her back in the late ‘90s when email was new.
Her name was fine, but her email was not
“My name is Samantha Hart,” she said. “Most companies use the email designation of first initial, last name, meaning my email would be ‘shart.’” For the uninitiated, a “shart” is an unintentional release when one thinks they only have gas. Yikes.
The issue arose because Samantha has had two “professional” jobs in the past in which her name has been an issue. So, as she began a third job, she wondered how to approach the situation with a new employer.
“At every single workplace, I have received an email from HR the week before I start letting me know that my name does not exactly fit the company email structure as they would intend and [asked] would I mind if they gave me a different structure for my email,” Hart said.
So she asked her followers on TikTok if she should just “reach out, right off the bat” to her employer and ask for “something else” or wait for HR to react to her email situation. But most of the responses were from people who have been in the same embarrassing situation as Samantha and wished their parents had thought twice before naming them.
She was definitely not alone in this
“Clittmann has entered the chat. Have been dealing with this since college,” Chris.Littmann responded.
“As Swallo, I feel your pain,” Samantha Wallo replied.
“My name is Sue Hartlove so my work emails are always shartlove,” Sue added.
“I went to college w Tiffany Estes,” Abby1233213 wrote.
“Rkelley has entered the chat,” Rach commented.
“Worked with a guy named Sam Adcock,” Lori added.
“My last name is Hartstein, and my mom’s personal email is ‘shartstein.’ People literally call her shart-stein,” Lyss wrote.
“I used to work with a BAllsman,” JenniferKerastas added.
“I worked with a Patrick Ecker at a previous job…” NoName wrote.
“Our high school used last name, first two letters of first name. My friend’s email ended up being ‘mountme,’” Averageldeal commented.
Andy Marks won the comment section with: “Always best to initiate the shart convo… wait too long and it tends to come out at the least opportune moment.”
While the comments were dominated by people sharing their unfortunate email addresses, a few people in the IT field shared their advice for how Samantha should approach her new employer with her email issue. Most agreed that she should address the issue before it becomes a larger problem.
“As someone in IT—please reach out. When we have to rename a bunch of logins after someone starts it can cause headaches for everyone (inc you!),” Kelsey Lane wrote.
Expecting parents, please take notes.
As a postscript, Hart later told BuzzFeed that she was getting married and would be taking her new husband’s last name. “I actually will be sad when I change my last name,” she said. “It’s such an iconic thing, and it’s something that I’ve turned into a kind of lore for myself.”
Household inequity is getting better in some households. In others, it’s completely out of control. A viral TikTok video highlights an extreme version of inequality that many wives and mothers in heterosexual relationships face. However, the mom in this story hit her limit and won’t deal with it anymore. Lynalice Bandy, who goes by @5kids5catssomedogstoo on TikTok, posted a video that showed her home looking like a disaster after she worked six 10-hour days straight while her husband did nothing to help.
Her time-lapse video shows every room in the house completely trashed, with toys, food, and laundry scattered everywhere. “Shampoo on the carpets in the girls’ room, nail polish all over nugget covers, hair, and carpet. Scissors were used to cut hair, the down comforter, the mattress cover, and two nugget covers,” wrote the mom. “I’ve worked six, ten-hour days in a row with only one day off being a sick day,” she captioned the video. “I’d like to pretend I’m not the only person who cleans here, but as you can see…These rooms don’t get much attention when I’m not here.”
She says her husband’s excuse was that he was focused on doing his schoolwork and couldn’t pay attention to the kids. “Now, that school is out for a break, he doesn’t have that excuse anymore,” Bandy says, noting that all of his attention has been focused on “the four vehicles in our driveway that he wants to work on continuously.”
The original video received over 17,000 comments, many of which were from supportive women. “You deserve much better, and he deserves to be alone. Much love to you from someone that left that life behind almost 20 yrs ago. You’ll get here, too,” Angela LaRoche wrote.
“Ma’am, you are nothing short of amazing! Hang in there!” Japanese with Jenny wrote. “That home is beautiful because of YOU,” Hillary added. “You put in so much work, and it is not unseen by me and so many others. But, you DO deserve better. Proud of you.”
A study utilizing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey found that women 15 years and older spend 5.7 hours daily doing housework and looking after kids and elders. Men in the same age group do an average of 3.6 hours of daily domestic work. That’s a 37% difference in time spent on household responsibilities.
Further, women who work an average of 35 hours a week spend 4.9 hours a day on household chores and child care, while men who work the same amount spend an average of 3.8 hours.
The comments show that many women are frustrated with their husbands for not doing their fair share. Hopefully, this video will encourage more people to speak out about domestic inequality and for more men to step up and do their part.
Here is where she is now
Nearly two years after Lynalice left her husband, she and her five children are living together in a new home. Her recent videos show that she’s having difficulty keeping it clean because she’s been working 60-plus hours a week and suffers from ADHD. Being the single mother of five has to be tough, so she has developed a new motto: “Progress, not perfection.” In November 2024, she shared a video of her and her family getting things together in their new home.
This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated.
Even though the marriage rate in the United States is on a steep decline, chances are that the majority of kids growing up today will get married at some point in their lives. If current trends continue, roughly 40% of those marriages will end in divorce, according to current research.
Research published in the Couple and Family Psychology journal found that the top five reasons for divorce are a lack of commitment, infidelity, too much conflict, getting married young, and financial problems.
Wouldn’t it be great if we were taught from a young age how to be a good spouse so we could avoid these pitfalls? Many of them are totally solvable with good communication and commitment from both parties. But in American culture, most of us aren’t taught the specifics of how to have a happy and healthy marriage. Most of us tend to pick things up from watching the married people in our orbit, most likely our parents.
No comment on how that’s going.
The other way we learn is by making the mistakes ourselves. By then, it’s usually too late. And the data around second and third marriages isn’t very promising when you dig into it.
One mom decided to do something about it
Artist Doug Weaver had a much different upbringing. His mother, Mickey, made a curriculum for him and his two older brothers when they were kids to help them be great husbands when they got married.
You’ve heard of things like “Mom-Son Date Night” (some dads and daughters do it, too) where mothers will take their boys out on a “date” so they can learn basic chivalry and manners?
Weaver’s training was like that on steroids.
“When I was a kid, my mom did this thing for me and my two older brothers called ‘Husbands in Training,’” he explained in a TikTok video that has more than 5.9 million views. “It was a full, multiple-level curriculum on how to be a better husband.”
Weaver says the training covered topics from chivalry to eating to a rather uncomfortable discussion on “the ethics of the porn industry.” His mother also stressed the importance of listening to women and identifying when another man may be giving them trouble.
“There was a lot of really good stuff in that curriculum,” Doug said. “There were things like what to do if your spouse says something and the information they give is wrong. How to handle it if they say something wrong in public versus in private, when it is appropriate to correct them and when it isn’t.”
Weaver’s mother was also way ahead of her time because she made a big deal about teaching her sons the importance of consent. “We talked about consent, we talked about the basics of respecting and honoring women and listening to women, and all of the things that really just make you a decent human being,” Doug explained.
A young Doug must have absolutely hated sitting through conversations with his mom about porn, sex, and consent… but as a grown man, he looks back on the lessons fondly.
The curriculum was so good, dad enrolled too
The lessons were so powerful that even Weaver’s father decided to take the course. “A lot of the things that we were learning from my mom were things that he was never taught growing up,” Weaver said. “So, he decided he also wanted to take ‘Husbands in Training.’”
It brings to mind pre-marriage counseling or couples therapy. Programs are often offered (or mandated) through churches, so they aren’t usually a great fit for the non-religious. And couples without active “problems” may resist the idea of attending couples therapy due to the stubborn stigma around it.
The course officially ended when Weaver and his brothers got married. “My mom even made certificates of completion that she signed and gave to each of us on our wedding day,” he shared in his TikTok clip.
However, the video Weaver shared was so popular on TikTok that he’s making his mother’s course available to the general public. “After posting about ‘Husbands in Training’ on TikTok, the TT community really wants my mom to produce content about raising boys to be good men,” he wrote on a GoFundMe fundraising campaign in 2022.
Now the lessons are available to everyone
The overwhelming response to Weaver’s TikTok has inspired a YouTube channel to spread Mickey’s lessons far and wide. But it has also made a lot of people realize that teaching people how to be great spouses is a lifelong journey and should be a major part of child-rearing. Learning how to be a good spouse shouldn’t just be something we pick up by accident.
As for Doug Weaver, his training appears to be paying off in the form of a happy marriage. He has since said he plans to adapt the curriculum for his own children, with a particular focus on consent and healthy conflict resolution.
This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated.
Montreal-based 9th-grader Aviana Machnes didn’t only come up with an award-winning science fair idea, she created a device that could save the lives of dementia patients. It all started with a pot left out on the stove.
As reported by Global News, Machnes’ grandmother, who has early-onset dementia, had forgotten to take a pot off the hot stove, subsequently leaving it there overnight. Finding no solutions to this problem, Machnes decided to tackle it herself.
Using current sensors and motion detectors, Machnes created a device dubbed the Forget-Me-Not that will automatically set off an alarm if no one is around for an extended period of time.
This not only earned Machnes a top placement at her regional science fair (beating out older students) but it’s now something she hopes to patent (along with a phone app) that would be implemented into long-term care homes.
The invention is something that Jesse Clair, one of Machnes’ science teachers, calls a great example of how, even in a school environment, students can “get their hands dirty” to “work on actual real-world problems.”
A growing need for everyday safety solutions
Machnes’ device taps into a very real and increasing need. Dementia affects millions of people worldwide, and one of the most pressing concerns for families and caregivers is safety in the home when individuals are left without supervision. Everyday tasks like cooking can become dangerous when memory lapses occur. Devices like the Forget-Me-Not aim to bridge that gap, offering a layer of protection without taking away independence.
Other innovations are addressing similar concerns. Smart stove shut-off systems, for example, can automatically turn off burners if no movement is detected nearby. Wearable GPS trackers help caregivers locate loved ones who may wander. Some companies have even developed simplified communication tablets designed specifically for those with cognitive decline, allowing users to connect with family through easy-to-navigate interfaces.
Breakthroughs in dementia research
Beyond assistive devices, scientific research is making unprecedented progress in understanding and treating dementia. In recent years, new medications and lifestyle changes have been developed that may slow cognitive decline in patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. In some cases, these changes may even prevent it entirely.
Similarly, advancements in brain imaging have improved early detection, giving patients and families more time to plan and seek treatment. There is also growing interest in personalized care approaches, which tailor therapies to an individual’s specific condition and history.
These projects often begin with a personal experience, much like Machnes’ story. A problem at home or in the community becomes the catalyst for experimentation. With guidance from teachers and access to basic tools, students can transform these creative ideas into tangible solutions. It really is a team effort.
According to the United Health Foundation, Louisiana is the least healthy state for women and children. For that state and many others, one major factor is the need to address the health of new mothers and their babies.
Most parents know how overwhelming it can feel to suddenly care for a newborn without much experienced help. With that in mind, New Orleans brought back house calls, sending nurses to support new mothers.
The program Family Connects New Orleans offers new mothers up to three in-home visits from a registered nurse for babies up to 12 weeks old. It allows nurses to check in on both the babies and their mothers to ensure they’re safe and healthy.
The nurses are also able to spot symptoms of postpartum depression earlier, allowing mothers to receive treatment sooner. According to Rosemary Westwood of WWNO, “About 10% of moms participating in the New Orleans program were eventually diagnosed with postpartum depression, compared with 6% of moms who did not get the visits.”
How does this work?
The nurses visit with supplies for the baby, perform examinations (such as checking the child’s weight), and help answer any questions from the mothers.
“We got to do some real things real differently, unless you like being number 50 all the time,” Dr. Jennifer Avegno, New Orleans’ health director, told NPR. “There is no more critical time and vulnerable time than right at birth and in the few weeks to months following birth.”
“You go, you have your delivery, you’re in the hospital and everything is there. You go home, there’s a bit of a honeymoon period, and then, for many women, you fall off a cliff,” Avegno told The Guardian. “It’s the time in your life when your resources are generally at their lowest. We often don’t know about it until you hit one of our systems later on, whether that’s child protection, whether it’s the ER, whether it’s substance use treatment.”
The program, which shows great potential for New Orleans, has found success in other states. When it was introduced in North Carolina, both mothers and their babies’ health significantly benefited from the home visits. In fact, a Duke University study of the program found that every dollar invested in the home visits saved $3.14 in healthcare billing before the child turned two.
Sometimes supporting a friend who’s deep in postpartum life feels overwhelming because you don’t always know what she needs or how to show up. That’s why this postpartum scale is such a game changer. I put together 17 simple, practical ways to use someone’s “number” to guide you; from knowing when to send help, to when to offer company, to when to just let her rest. It takes the guesswork out of supporting each other and makes showing up feel natural instead of awkward or intrusive. And even though I created this scale with postpartum moms in mind, it’s just as powerful for anyone navigating mental illness, chronic illness, burnout, or big emotional seasons. Sometimes people don’t have the words to explain where they’re at, but they can give you a number. That number can help you understand their capacity, their needs, and how to support them without pushing too hard. It’s a tool that builds connection, reduces isolation, and reminds all of us that we don’t need to struggle alone. #PostpartumSupport#MentalHealthTools#MaternalMentalHealth#SupportYourFriends
If you or someone you know is expecting, it may be worth seeing if a similar program is available near you. Organizations such as Welcome Baby in Los Angeles or national ones like Nurse-Family Partnership could help. The Health Resources & Services Administration has a database to find assistance near you as well.
Having your kids experience an emergency is every parent’s worst nightmare, but never underestimate their own resiliency and ability to problem-solve in times of crisis.
On April 22, a bus driver carrying middle school students in Hancock County School District, Mississippi, suffered an asthma attack and lost consciousness. Thankfully, several students quickly banded together to safely regain control of the vehicle.
While some helped steer and brake, others called 911 and notified the school district. One student, Destiny Cornelius, even helped the driver take their medication.
“I saw her medication in her hand, and I saw her reaching for it. I knew that’s what she needed,” Cornelius told local TV station WLOX.
Thanks to their teamwork, the bus came to a peaceful stop, and no one was hurt. Amazingly, the heroic act was caught on camera.
In a statement posted to Facebook, the Hancock County School District praised the students for “staying calm and acting responsibly.”
Hancock Middle School principal Dr. Melissa Saucier also told WLOX, “I’m not surprised to hear that our kids remained calm and acted swiftly. This emergency situation could have definitely been detrimental. And they handled it exactly how they should have. And we’re extremely proud of them.”
Why preparation matters
Moments like this raise important questions about how prepared students are for unexpected emergencies. These middle schoolers’ instincts were clearly spot-on, but their success also points to a broader opportunity for schools. Basic emergency response training for scenarios just like this could give more students the confidence and knowledge to act when adults are incapacitated.
Simple lessons such as how to contact emergency services, recognize medical distress, or safely stop a moving vehicle could make a critical difference. Many schools already practice fire drills and lockdown procedures, yet situations involving transportation or medical crises receive less attention. Expanding safety education to include these scenarios could empower students without overwhelming them.
There is also a strong case for age-appropriate first aid training. Understanding how to assist someone experiencing an asthma attack, as Cornelius did, is a skill that extends far beyond a single incident. It builds awareness, empathy, and the ability to stay focused under pressure.
A powerful example of student leadership
Regardless, what really stands out most is how naturally these students stepped into leadership roles. No one waited for instructions. They communicated, divided responsibilities, and acted with purpose in a matter of seconds.
Educators often emphasize academic achievement, yet stories like this highlight the value of life skills. Problem-solving, teamwork, and emotional regulation are just as essential, especially in unpredictable situations.
For parents, this story may spark both fear and pride: fear of what could have gone wrong, and pride in seeing young people rise to the occasion. For schools, it offers a chance to reflect on how to better equip students for the real world.
A huge kudos to these kids for demonstrating that even in frightening circumstances, young people can take meaningful action.
There’s an old saying that goes something like this: Parents should give their children enough so that they can succeed, but not so much that they don’t have to. Meaning, parents should help their adult children reach their goals because it’s hard to pull yourself up by the bootstraps when you have no boots. But they shouldn’t give them so much that they lose the desire to create something on their own.
This is a tricky balance for parents to strike if they have the means, and, of course, every child requires something different. The problem occurs when children aren’t doing much on their own, and you may have to create real-world consequences to get them to step out on their own.
An aunt on Reddit recently shared a contract that her sister and her husband gave to their 20-year-old niece. The contract was written so that the young woman would contribute to the home and abide by her parents’ rules. The aunt believes that the contract is too tough.
“My niece showed me this ‘contract’ her mom and stepdad are making her sign to keep living at home. She told them she isn’t signing it because she doesn’t agree with it, and they told her if she doesn’t sign it, she needs to move out,” the aunt wrote. “For context—she’s 20 but not very mature for her age. I’d say more like 15–16 emotionally. She has ADHD and depression. She does have a part-time job (which is her 1st job) that she’s had for a while and picks up shifts when she can.”
“I’m worried this is going to do the same thing it did to me, where instead of getting support when I was struggling, I just got more pressure and criticism,” she continued. “That didn’t help me move forward at all. If anything, it kept me stuck longer than I needed to be. I’m also worried that this is going to destroy any type of relationship they have.”
Pay a $5 maid fee for each time she skipped her chores
No guests after 10 p.m. without prior approval
The “adult child” must also maintain employment
No illicit activity or underage drinking
The contract stressed that living in the home was a “privilege, not a right” and that failure to comply would result in “termination of housing privileges.”
Most commenters thought the contract was a fair idea
The interesting thing was that, although the aunt passionately disagreed with the contract, most commenters thought it was a decent idea.
“If you feel this is unreasonable, are you offering for her to live in your home without an agreement?” one commenter asked the aunt.
“Also, ADHD is not something that incapacitates you from adhering to very simple rules,” another added. “This contract exists because the niece has been doing much of nothing for the last 2 years, and the parents need an exit ramp.”
A few commenters said the best thing the parents can do is save the rent money the young woman pays and give it to her when she’s ready to move out.
“I’d love if your sister, in turn, would save all that money for her and give it to her when she’s finally out on her own. That’s the only way to make this productive,” a commenter wrote.
What do the experts say?
Real Property Management Pros says charging your adult child rent is a great way to help them become responsible. “Asking your child to pay rent doesn’t mean you love them less. It means you’re preparing them for real life. That said, setting clear parental boundaries is critical,” the company wrote on its blog.
Ultimately, charging an adult child rent is a touchy subject. Still, it can become a positive experience for all parties if it’s communicated with love rather than seen as a punishment. It’s a great stepping stone for young adults to get out on their own and realize that it’s probably worth paying a bit more to a landlord than living under their parents’ rules.
