+
upworthy
popular

Texas couple sparks debate after charging 19-year-old daughter $200 a month in rent

“How do you feel about making your adult children pay rent to live at home?” they asked.

erika cody archie, charging kids rent, gen z

Cody and Erika Archie decide how much to chage their daughter in rent.

A couple in Gatesville, Texas, have started an interesting debate on TikTok over whether it's right for them to charge their 19-year-old daughter rent to live with them after graduating high school. Ranchers Erika and Cody Archie, who go by Bay7Ranch on TikTok, have a million followers on the platform where people watch their videos documenting life on a ranch.

Kylee Archie graduated high school in May of 2022, and on June 1, she started paying her parents $200 a month in rent.

“Our thought together is that since [Kylee] has graduated, I told her... I been telling her, ‘June the first, our rent's due if you continue to live here,"' said Cody, who is a bit more strict than his wife, said in the viral video.


“I thought that was a little harsh, I mean, maybe a little leeway,” Erika added. “200 bucks a month is plenty cheap to live like a grub in your parents' house,” Cody continued. “That's cheaper than she eats in food," the mother added. “We think it teaches them a good lesson in paying bills.”

How do you feel about making your adult children pay rent to live at home? 

@bar7ranch

How do you feel about making your adult children pay rent to live at home? This is a REPOST from last year but since its on Fox Business News right now we thought we’d chat about it again! #Parenting #ParentsChargingRent #AdultChildren #DryHumor #Sarcasm #MarriageHumor #Marriage #CoupleTok #RanchTok #AgTok #KeepRanchin #KingOfTikTok #RanchLife #Ranch

Understanding that the issue might stir controversy, the couple asked its followers if they agreed. “How do you feel about making your adult children pay rent to live at home?” they captioned the video.

The responses were a mixed bag of pros and cons. Some thought it was a good idea because it teaches responsibility and prevents kids from doing nothing because they’re being enabled. "Responsibility is always a great lesson!" James Jackson wrote. "Collect rent, then give it back when they move out," John Deere added.

Others think that the world is hard enough and that it's the parents' job to support their kids, no matter what. "Nope, my son is 23, and we don't charge him. He works and helps around the house...but life is hard enough and not gonna charge my kid," Shelly wrote. "No, because I wanted them to save money to get out faster. If they are paying me, they aren't saving to get out," Tammy Lynn Ballard wrote.

"A definite no for me… I know it’s rare, but I will forever help my kids… no matter the age," Chief's Wife 101 wrote. "No one ever said we wouldn’t be here to help our kids forever," the Archies responded.

The Archies' situation isn’t unique. As of July 2022, 50% of adults in America aged 18 to 29 were living with their parents. But should they be required to pay rent? A majority of Americans say they should. A recent poll of 15000 Americans found that 57% say adult children living with their parents should have to pay rent.

One of the biggest balancing acts of parenting is deciding whether you give your kids too much or too little. An old saying may help people in a similar situation: You should give your kids enough so they can do something but not so much that they do nothing. That goes both ways, giving your kids too much help will make them dependent, so they don’t have the fire in their bellies to become successful. However, a kid who gets too little may not have the resources to pursue their goals in the first place.

Education

A school assignment asked for 3 benefits of slavery. This kid gave the only good answer.

The school assignment was intended to spark debate and discussion — but isn't that part of the problem?

A school assignment asked for 3 "good" reasons for slavery.



It's not uncommon for parents to puzzle over their kids' homework.

Sometimes, it's just been too long since they've done long division for them to be of any help. Or teaching methods have just changed too dramatically since they were in school.

And other times, kids bring home something truly inexplicable.
Keep ReadingShow less
Health

Belgian Olympic marathoner breaks down in tears of disbelief upon hearing she finished 28th

38-year-old Mieke Gorissen had only been training for three years and the Olympics was just her third marathon.

Imagine deciding to take up a hobby that usually requires many years to perfect at age 35, and three years later ending up in the top 30 in the world at the highest international competition for it.

That's what happened to a 38-year-old math and physics teacher from Diepenbeek, Belgium. According to Netherlands News Live, Mieke Gorissen has jogged 10km (a little over six miles) a few times a week for exercise for many years. But in 2018, she decided to hire a running trainer to improve her technique. As it turned out, she was a bit of a natural at distance running.

Three years later, Gorissen found herself running her third marathon. But not just any old marathon (as if there were such a thing)—the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics. And not only did she compete with the world's most elite group of runners, she came in 28th out of the 88 competing in the race.

Keep ReadingShow less

Taylor Swift at 2022 Toronto International Film Festival Red Carpet Day 2.

The wordsmiths over at Merriam-Webster have announced their official “Word of the Year for 2023,” they say it’s something we are “thinking about, writing about, aspiring to, and judging more” than ever.

The word is authentic.

According to the dictionary, the most common definitions of authentic are “not false or imitation,” “being true to one's own personality, spirit, or character,” and “worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact.”

Merriam-Webster says the word saw a “substantial increase” in lookups this year. That’s probably because we now live in a world where artificial intelligence, deepfake technology and questionable memes challenge our basic notions of reality.

Keep ReadingShow less
via PixaBay

Being an adult is tough.

Nothing can ever fully prepare you for being an adult. Once you leave childhood behind, the responsibilities, let-downs and setbacks come at you fast. It’s tiring and expensive, and there's no easy-to-follow roadmap for happiness and success.

A Reddit user named u/Frequent-Pilot5243 asked the online forum, “What’s an adult problem nobody prepared you for?” and there were a lot of profound answers that get to the heart of the disappointing side of being an adult.

One theme that ran through many responses is the feeling of being set adrift. When you’re a kid, the world is laid out as a series of accomplishments. You learn to walk, you figure out how to use the bathroom, you start school, you finish school, maybe you go to college, and so on.

Keep ReadingShow less
Education

A mom was frustrated that there weren't shows for kids with developmental delays. So, she made one herself.

Ms. Rachel has taken the internet by storm with her show geared toward educating parents and toddlers.

Mom couldn't find a show for children with developmental delays.

If there's one thing a determined parent will do, it's make sure their kid is getting their needs met. Even if that means they have to reinvent the wheel to do it. Rachel Griffin Accurso, or as parents across TikTok and YouTube know her, Ms. Rachel, found herself without any real options for additional resources to help her toddler who was diagnosed with a speech delay.

Accurso was looking for a developmentally appropriate show for her son but she wasn't having any luck. That's when she decided to take her teaching degree and get to work on creating her own show. It became a family business when she teamed up with her husband, Broadway composer Aron Accurso, who has been there every step of the way. He's even in the episodes singing along.

"Songs for Littles" has infiltrated homes across America. If you have a toddler and internet access, you've likely heard of it. The show has more than a billion views on YouTube. Yes, that's billion, with a "B." Ms. Rachel also has more than 19 million likes on TikTok and has speech pathologists everywhere singing her praises.

Keep ReadingShow less

A ship crusing beautiful blue waters

Living permanently on a cruise ship seems like a dream of the uber-wealthy. You spend your days lounging on the deck by the pool or touring an exotic location. Nights are spent dancing in the nightclub or enjoying live entertainment.

You no longer have to worry about traffic, cooking or laundry. Your life has become all-inclusive as long as you’re on board.

At Upworthy, we’ve shared the stories of a handful of people who’ve been able to spend their lives on a permanent cruise because they’ve figured out how to do so affordably. Or, at least, at about the same cost of living on land.

Insider recently featured the fantastic story of Ryan Gutridge, who spends about 300 nights a year living on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas. He only leaves the ship for a few weeks a year during the holidays.

Keep ReadingShow less