Dad Charging Teen Son for Utilities Sparks Mixed Reactions

A dad on Reddit is getting mixed reactions for wanting to charge his teen son utilities.

The man prefaces his story by saying that his son is 17 and that his son is currently a streamer who streams on Twitch for income. He goes on to say that his son is making good money right now, but that there has been an increase in some of the bills as a result.

"My son (17) has been streaming on platforms like Twitch and Kick for about a year now. Recently, his channel blew up, and he's been making around 2-3k a month. I'm proud of him, but the increase in his internet usage and electricity consumption is noticeable. I thought it would be fair for him to contribute a reasonable amount to our utility bills, given his income," the dad began.

The man brought up the idea of charging their son for some of the expenses to his wife , but his wife was not happy about it.

"I suggested this to my wife, and she thinks I'm out of my mind. She argues that he's still a kid and should save his money for college or other future expenses. I get her point, but I also think it's a good lesson in responsibility and understanding the costs associated with his activities," he said.

The dad clears the air and says that he is not expecting his son to pay the whole bill, just his son's portion.

"It's not like I'm asking him to cover the entire bill, just a portion that reflects his usage. I even offered to help him set up a budget to manage his earnings better. My wife says this is causing unnecessary tension and damaging our relationship, and now I'm second-guessing myself," he shared.

"I don't want to be the bad guy, but I feel like this is a reasonable request. He spends hours streaming, and our utility bills have noticeably increased," he continued before asking if he was wrong for to chip in on the bills.

People in the comments section gave mixed reactions to the post.

"Is this less than $20 / month? meh. I'd skip. BUT..... I honestly would still do this and phrase it as a 'you are running a business now..... so lets learn how to budget, expense, & track profits,'" one person suggested.

"I’m so-so on this. What would you do if he wasn’t making that money? It feels like you’re taking advantage of his income but maybe I’m just reading wrong. I’m with the wife on this - as dad you should do everything in your power to set him up for success. Help him save/invest that money and build up some wealth while he’s young," another person said.

"NTA as long as it’s reasonable," read another comment.

"This isn't an a--hole or not decision. It's a parenting decision. Even if his use was increasing my bills it's not the decision I'd make so long as he's in school still and so long as my budget could handle the increased cost but it's not my kid, so not my call. You're not an a--hole for doing it either (so long as it really is just covering the increase)," a Reddit user commented.