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.

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 Bar7Ranch on TikTok, have a million followers on the platform where they post videos documenting life on a ranch.
Their daughter, Kylee Archie, graduated high school in May of 2022, and on June 1, she started paying her parents $200 a month in rent. She decided not to attend college, so she was planning to stay home for a while.
“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,"' 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.
This story originally appeared two years ago.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.