I Let My Adult Son Move Back In and Became His Maid—So I Turned the Tables

We recently received a story from one of our readers that made us laugh, sigh, and nod all at once. It’s about parenting an adult child who overstayed his welcome—and the wildly creative solution this mom came up with.
Was it petty? Maybe. Was it effective? You decide.

The story with her own words.

“So my 24-year-old son moved back in after a breakup. ‘Just for a few weeks,’ he said.

Four months later, he’s still here. No job. No rent. No effort.

He sleeps until noon, leaves dishes near the sink (never in it), and treats the living room like his personal locker room.

Meanwhile, I work full-time and somehow still ended up doing his laundry last week. Out of habit. Like some kind of brainwashed hotel maid.

When I tried to talk to him about pitching in, he hit me with, ‘You’re stressing me out. I need space to reset.’

Dude. You’re eating my groceries and using my Netflix. What space?

So I stopped buying his favorite snacks. I paused his profiles on streaming. Changed the Wi-Fi password. He got annoyed but stayed.

Then I did something... petty. Maybe extreme.

I listed his bedroom on Airbnb.

Yep. Took nice pics while he was out. Wrote a cute little description: ‘Cozy room in a quiet home. Shared bathroom. No overnight guests.’

Got booked within three days.

Told him: ‘You’ve got two weeks. The room’s rented. You’ll need to be out.’

He was furious. Said I was choosing strangers over my own kid.

I said, ‘No, I’m choosing boundaries over freeloading.’

He moved out a week later. Crashed with a friend. Got a part-time job two weeks after that. Now he’s figuring it out.

We’re talking again. Civil. Maybe better than before.

Do I feel guilty? A little.
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat.”

Helping Adult Children: When Support Helps—And When It Hurts

Parenting doesn’t stop when your kids grow up. But knowing when to step in—and when to step back is key to helping them thrive, not stall.

Here’s what family experts suggest:

🔹 Support Life Crises, Not Lifestyle Habits

There’s a big difference between helping through a layoff, illness, or sudden hardship—and constantly covering for poor decisions like overspending, missed rent, or skipped responsibilities. Let natural consequences teach the lesson.

🔹 Financial Help = Financial Say

If you’re paying their bills, you get a say. If not, advice should come only when asked—or when the stakes are serious. Don’t give both money and uninvited direction. Choose one.

🔹 Before Giving Money, Ask Yourself:

Can I truly afford it?

Will this fix the problem—or enable it?

Is this a crisis or a chronic habit?

Will it teach responsibility—or erase it?

Could I offer help in another form (childcare, groceries, job leads)?

Is this becoming a pattern?

🔹 Set Clear Terms

If you do give money, clarify:

Is this a gift or a loan?

When will it be paid back?

Is this the last time—or the start of something unsustainable?

🔹 Think Long-Term

Help should lead to greater independence, not deeper dependence. Education, job training, or launching a business? Possibly worth it. Funding vacations, shopping, or unpaid bills from avoidable choices? Probably not.

Saying “no” doesn’t mean you don’t care. It means you’re teaching them how to care for themselves.

I Removed My Son From My Will—I Won’t Tolerate Humiliation I Don’t Deserve