You’d think if your parents bought you and your siblings the flights and accommodation for a trip to Thailand the least you could do is pay for lunch, right?
Well, not according to one Perth man (yes, we’re talking about a fully grown adult here) who called his mum “stingy” for asking him to pay a tiny portion of his own way.
His mum shared the 22-year-old’s response to being asked to pay for his own lunches while away in the Perth Mums Group on Facebook.
The mum, whose post was republished by News.com.au, explained to fellow parents that she had organised a family holiday for herself, her husband and their six children, who range in age from 16 to 27 years old.
She and her husband not only paid for the kids’ flights, accommodation (with buffet breakfast included), travel insurance, airport transfers, and a trip to the Phi Phi islands – but also offered to pay for dinner each night.
Which meant all their adult children needed to cough up the cash for were their lunches, souvenirs and any other extras - something the mum said she explained to her children before they left.
"However, the 22-year-old has said to me today that I’m stingy because I’m not paying for lunches (which will only cost probably no more than $10 on the plane and in Patong each day) although just about everything else is being paid for," she explained in the post.
For context, the mum added that her son does have a job and was part of the conversation about what the adult children would be expected to pay for themselves.
"This has upset me and I don’t think it’s unreasonable at all, especially when everyone else is happy with the arrangements," she wrote.
The mum was on the page asking for feedback, and the kind she got was overwhelmingly sympathetic to her and critical of her son - who one commenter described as a "spoiled little brat".
What do you think? Is asking your adult children to pay for their own lunches a reasonable request?
Top Comments
My response would be. "Oh, I am sorry. I assumed you were financially stable enough to buy your own lunches and souvenirs. I would not want to cut into your budget with a vacation you can ill-afford. If you'd like, you can pack food to bring (if allowed) or I can just cancel your tickets (even if they're non-refundable, this shows just how unreasonable he's being). Let me know which you prefer." And that would be the extent of my engagement on that topic. I would, however, wonder deeply what I had done as a parent that created such an ill-bred, ungrateful child.
i think it's time that the parents change their parenting style with him. Yes, maybe mom/dad allowed it in the past but as a grown person, one is capable of thinking for themselves. At this age, to think that one is still 'deserving' is a child who has chosen not to grow up. It is time to ask him to eave the nest, if he hasn't already, and learn to fend for himself. Tough love needs to be practiced here for his own good. This "I am entitled" attitude has go and if not now, when?