Ethan, a headstrong and rebellious teen, thought he was outsmarting his parents when he declared he should be paid for doing chores. He claimed, “work without pay is unfair,” and insisted their only real obligation was to provide for him, “because the law says so.” His mother, Sarah, was livid at his arrogance, but his father, James, surprisingly played along. With a smirk and a calm voice, James told Ethan, “If you want to be treated like a man, we’ll do just that.”
Ethan, feeling victorious, proudly drafted a list of chore prices: $1 for taking out the trash, $2 for doing dishes, $4 for walking the dog, $5 for tidying his room, and $10 for yard work. James set up a chart to track it all, while Sarah fumed silently. But James had a plan—and Ethan had no idea what was coming.
The very next day, Ethan came home from football practice hungry and expected dinner, only for his mom to sweetly tell him it would cost him. Stunned, he ended up ordering a $15 pizza, quickly realizing this new “grown-up” arrangement wasn’t as fun as he’d thought.
The surprises kept coming. Breakfast was $6. When he asked for $70 to buy new team jerseys, James reminded him that now he was earning his own money, he was responsible for his own expenses. Ethan protested he didn’t have enough, but James just told him to save up. The final straw? A $5.50 charge for a ride to school and a $12.50 laundry bill from his mom. Suddenly, adulthood didn’t seem so appealing.
