A Texas couple who started charging rent from their daughter after she decided not to go to college has sparked a debate about modern parenting.
Erika and Cody Archie from Gatesville have nearly a million followers on TikTok, where they post videos of their ranch life.
Their decision to charge their 19-year-old daughter Kylee Deason $200 a month in rent divided their social media followers and provoked a range of opinions.
Kylee graduated from high school in May 2022 and on June 1, within two weeks, she paid rent to her parents.
That choice left many of their followers divided on how parents can best teach their children financial maturity.
According to the Pew Research Center, as of July 2022, 50 percent of adults in America ages 18 to 29 lived with one or both parents. In 2010 it was about 44 percent and ten years earlier, in 2000, it was 38 percent.
Erika (left) and Cody Archie (right) sparked a debate after telling their followers they would be suing their 19-year-old daughter Kylee Deason (center) to stay home
Erika and Cody Archie of Gatesville, Texas, began charging their 19-year-old daughter $200 a month in rent after she graduated from high school
Erika (left) and Cody (right) said they consider $200 in monthly rent affordable and therefore a reasonable demand from their adult daughter (center)
Our thought together has been that ever since [Kylee] graduated I told her… I told her, ‘June 1st, our rent is due if you stay here,’” said Cody, who had a slightly more stern attitude than Erika.
“I thought that was a little harsh, I mean maybe a little slack,” Erika said, though the two generally agreed.
“$200 a month is cheap enough to live like a grub in your parents’ house,” Cody said.
“That’s cheaper than she eats,” Erika said. “We think it teaches them a good lesson in paying bills.”
One viewer said they agreed with the couple’s decision, writing, “My mom did. I chose not to go to college, but I did get a job. I was expected to pay rent and I didn’t begrudge her at all. It’s what should happen.’
Some people shared their own experiences growing up and commented on how their parents’ decisions affected them.
Many proposed a system where children pay rent so that they feel responsible, but get the money back at a later date.
“I was paying $100 a month back then [sic] my parents gave it back to me as a wedding present. It really helped to get going,” one viewer wrote.
Others were firmly against charging rent to children.
“You’ve decided to have a child… not the other way around.” Where else would they go if they didn’t live with you?’ one person said.
‘My mother made me pay 500 euros a month to live at her house, and that was 20 years ago. She never returned the money to me and all it accomplished was filling me with resentment and leaving me short,” she added.
According to the Pew Research Center, the number of 18- to 19-year-olds living in their parents’ home will reach its highest level in about 50 years in 2020
Polled on behalf of News week found this year that nearly two-thirds of 1,500 Americans believe adults in their 20s living in their parents’ home should pay rent even if the parents don’t need the money.
In the US, as in many Western countries, it is common practice for many children to leave their parents’ homes when they reach adulthood.
About 60 million American households are now thought to be “multigenerational” — that figure has quadrupled since the 1970s, according to data collected by the Pew Research Center.
In 2020, it turned out that the number of people living at home had reached its highest level since the Great Depression.
While the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic had an effect, the trend was observed beforehand.
The average monthly rent in the US reached an all-time high in 2022 and home prices in major cities continued to rise.