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Getting your first paycheck is supposed to feel like freedom, not another bill to negotiate.

One high school senior spent years begging his mom for permission to get a job, finally earning that chance after his dad ended up in jail and money got tight at home.

He agreed early on to split his paycheck with her, but between a demanding 40-hour first week, a broken school laptop, and grades slipping under the pressure, tension started building fast.

After his first paycheck finally came through, he chose to cover the family’s internet bill and keep the rest, only for his mom to demand half anyway, plus reimbursement for the work clothes she’d bought him.

Now he’s stuck wondering whether keeping his own money makes him the bad guy.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITAH for not sharing my paycheck after agreeing to?

I’m 17M and a senior in high school. I’ve been dreaming of finally getting a job and being able to work ever since I was a freshman, but my mom never let me.

This past year has kinda been a nightmare. My parents got in a fight, and my dad ultimately ended up in jail while my mom got to stay home.

He finally made a deal with his mother, but it quickly fell apart.

She finally let me get a job after years of begging, only because it benefits her, tbh. I agreed to share half my paycheck initially, however, after I started working and threw in a 40-hour week my first week along with school, and on my second week, my school laptop got busted.

I fell behind on grades because of this, and my mom blamed me and my job for them slipping. That was all these past 2 weeks.

He pleaded with his mom to let him try and get back on track.

While last Friday, I begged her to be able to skip school to be able to work on my stuff (after my dad went to jail, the wifi hasn’t been paid and we don’t have any, so my hotspot is my only source of internet) and finally catch up.

She said no, because our school counselor signs our graduation papers, and she thinks this absence will screw me over for some reason.

He doesn’t agree with her way of doing things at all.

She’s always been so stuck up about rules, and I hardly ever get to skip school, whether it be the end of the year where we do nothing and I’m alone while my friends are all playing games at home.

Soon he begins to go back on his agreement, and his mom quickly took notice.

Now I finally got my first paycheck after working my first 2 weeks. After realizing how hard it is to do stuff and having her in my way, I ultimately decided to pay the internet for us and that’s it.

My mom, having a power trip all the time because she has to feel like she’s needed, wanted to take half plus still have me pay the internet.

Soon I’m going to a comic con, which I’ve been telling her about for months, and then I have a friend’s party to attend, in which I need money for both.

He knows he isn’t going to get any financial help from her, so he feels conflicted about what to do next.

She refuses to pay for either, hence why I didn’t want to give her anything, and later sent me how much I “owed” her for buying stuff for work, like jeans and some shoes.

I genuinely don’t know whether I’m right or wrong, so hopefully you people can tell me.

Living under your parent’s roof is rarely easy, especially when you’re ready for a little more independence.

What did Reddit have to say?

Maybe part of growing up is being able to see your parent’s perspective a little more clearly.

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This user wouldn’t hesitate to help their family out financially.

There’s a big difference between wants and needs.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a brother who is upset his parents bought his recovering sister a brand-new car but wouldn’t help him out with a used one.

Or maybe all of this is just too much responsibility for a teenager.

Paying the internet bill was already a generous move for a teenager working his first job while juggling school and a broken laptop with pretty much zero support.

There’s room for him to handle the money conversation better next time around, maybe with a clearer budget or a calmer negotiation instead of just going quiet and paying the bare minimum.

But honestly, a teenager shouldn’t be carrying this much financial and emotional weight in the first place, juggling a full course load, a new job, a broken laptop, and a parent treating his paycheck like a household line item.

What this family really needs is a full reset on expectations.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.