We need to talk about “helicopter moms.” Because there’s “concerned,” and then there’s “I’m-going-to-burn-your-life-down-with-my-good-intentions.” And one 18-year-old on Reddit just found out her mom is the second kind, so she handed her a bill.
Our narrator is an 18-year-old woman who is, or at least was, trying to build a life. She landed her first real job out of high school, a sweet gig in a warehouse where she was on track to apprentice as a parts technician. A real career! Her dad, who is clearly the sane one, helped her get the job.
But there’s a problem. And that problem is Mom. Mom hates that her daughter didn’t get a “girly job.” I’m sorry, I didn’t realize we were living in the 1950s. What’s not “girly” enough? The fact that she’s learning a skill? Making her own money? Not sitting at home, waiting for a husband?
So, this “concerned” mother starts a campaign of harassment. She “constantly” calls her daughter at work. She shows up at the warehouse. The daughter, who is trying to be a professional adult, tells her, “Please stop. My boss doesn’t like this.” The mom stops… for a bit. And then does it again.
This all comes to a head when the daughter finally blows her top and tells her mom to “leave me the F alone at work.” A 100 percent justified reaction. So, where does mom go? Straight to Facebook, of course! She posts a whole “woe is me” saga about how her daughter is an “ingrate” for not wanting to be ambushed by her mother at her place of employment.
And the Facebook peanut gallery, oh, they did not disappoint. A “bunch of people” jumped in to tell this 18-year-old girl, who is just trying to hold down a job, that she is “being mean.” They said her mom “meant well.” They said her constant, boundary-stomping harassment “wasn’t hurting me.”
Remember those people. They are important. Because, as you can guess, the harassment “wasn’t hurting” her… until it was.
Last week, Mom showed up again. The daughter, working, refused to come out. So the mom… tried to come in the back. She tried to storm a warehouse. The boss, having had enough of this one-woman circus, was “done.” The daughter was fired.
So. To all the Facebook know-it-alls: was that “hurting” her?
Now, the daughter is, justifiably, “pissed.” Her dad, the only good adult in this story, says he’ll help her get another job. But our girl isn’t just going to let this go. She’s got a list. She’s got receipts. She went back to that Facebook thread.
And here, my friends, is where this 18-year-old proves she’s a certified genius. She didn’t just tell them what happened. Oh no. She went to every single person who called her “mean” and “ungrateful.” She spelled it out for them: “Your sainted, ‘well-meaning’ friend just got me fired.” And then, the k!ll shot: she asked them for money.
She literally said, “Since her actions cost me my job, you can help me out with some money, right?”
I am giving this a standing ovation. This is a “put your money where your mouth is” move of such epic proportions, it should be taught in schools.
And what happened? “All of a sudden,” the peanut gallery is shocked! They are “turning on her mom.” They’re calling her “overbearing.” They “didn’t realize” she was jeopardizing her employment! Oh, you didn’t? You just thought it was “not hurting” to harass someone at their job?
And the best part? Not one of them has sent any money. Of course not. They’re all for “supporting” mom when it’s free, but the second there’s a price tag, they’re gone.
The mom, now exposed, is furious. She’s texting, “stop telling people I got you fired!” and “you’re embarrassing me by asking my supporters for money!” You’re embarrassed? You’re embarrassed? You got your kid fired from her career path because it wasn’t “girly,” and you’re the victim? The logic is just… wow.
The daughter is 100 percent in the right. And the dad? The dad is the MVP. He’s “staying out of it,” but he did drop this little gem: the way she acts “is the reason they got divorced.” So, is she the ahole? N-T-A. She is a legend. She just taught her mom and an entire Facebook group a masterclass in “Find Out.”