10 Honest Opinions of Parents That Kick Their Kids Out as Soon as They Turn 18

Many parents subscribe to throwing their offspring out the minute they reach 18 years old. But what do others think of parents who do that?

The overall consensus is negative as it speaks to larger issues with the parent and possibly the home. Here are some thoughts regarding parents throwing out their children from an online parenting community.

1. Awful Parents

Many parents and young adults agreed that these are awful and likely abusive parents. One explained those parents prefer to repeat abuse rather than break the cycle.

Someone labeled them selfish for turning their kids out based on an arbitrary age. Another irate poster said parents who toss their kids aside because of their age, gender, or sexuality don’t “deserve to hear from their kids ever again.” And many don’t.

2. Never Wanted to Be Parents

Someone else, whose boyfriend’s parents threw him out at 18, quoted the parents as saying, “we didn’t mean to have you.” As such, they wanted him gone so they could enjoy their life.

Many parents have unplanned pregnancies, and some harbor resentment that translates into tossing their kids out the minute they’re of legal age. It’s as though, another poster highlights, the only reason they kept them home till then is that they feared jail.

3. Deserve to Be Alone

From the last admission, several stated they hope the boyfriend’s parents do not have the nerve to reach out when they “get older and sicker.” In other words, keep that same energy.

Among the shared stories of kids thrown out of the home at 18, some even sooner than that was the consensus that those parents no longer exist in their lives. Be it a few years or more, several do not talk to or visit their parents, and they have no regrets. As a result, the parents miss out on the rest of their kid’s life and any grandchildren.

4. Depends on the Circumstances

Other commenters suggest that sometimes circumstances make it necessary to kick out your offspring. For example, if the kid is a danger, it’s understandable to send them packing.

However, one person points out that if you’re like their ex’s mom, who put all the kid’s stuff on the lawn after graduation and said, “you are on your own,” then you’re a horrid parent.

5. Not Parents But Birthers

I’d never heard the phrase in this context, but people said these types are not parents but “birthers.” They only provide the bare minimum of what is “legally” required.

One’s parent even said that providing kindness above “bread and water” wasn’t owed to their child. So it seems like, whatever the excuse, parents who subscribe to kicking their kids out are mostly awful people.

6. Clueless About Today’s World

A few feel the older generation, primarily boomers, were called out as responsible for this mindset. They are out of touch with the economy, where the cost of living increases while wages stagnate.

One user says if parents kick you out now, they “should be arrested,” regardless if you’re legally an adult, as it’s a “death sentence.” After all, in most places, a room rental is around $1000 if you’re lucky.

7. Forced/Arranged Marriage

Though they still do not agree, a few acknowledge that times were also different, and forced or arranged marriages were more commonplace. It was an obligation, and having children was part of it. Wanting a family did not factor into it, and while it “does not excuse” parents’ behaviors, it emphasizes the “damage” culture does.

8. It’s Cultural

It differs depending on where you are from. One Turkish user stated the only time offspring could leave their parent’s home is by moving elsewhere for school or marriage.

They wryly ended with, “there is no other way around it.” People from other cultural backgrounds, including Irish, Italian, Portuguese, and Indian. So this conduct differs according to your parents’ roots. One person flat-out states this shoddy parental behavior is American.

9. No Love in This Home

To send the message that a young adult is no longer wanted when they turn 18 means you don’t love them stated one. Encouraging your kids to seek independence is one thing, but “throwing them to the wolves” is “gross,” they added.

10. Parenting is Lifelong

Parenting is not something that ends at a particular age. As some agree, it’s a lifetime commitment. Because if you bring a child into the world, that does not stop being your child when they are adults.

A final commenter explains that raising an adult does not mean a specific age, as people mature at different paces. If you’re not prepared for the commitment, do not have children.

This thread inspired this post.