His Father Decided to Cutoff His Lazy 26-Year-Old Son, Was He Right?
The Original Poster (OP) of the story is the father’s daughter, who is asking the forum if her father was right in cutting off her 26-year-old brother, who was still living at home.
Diego’s parents moved to Texas shortly before he was born. The couple had moved in search of a better life and job opportunities, but as the years passed, it became clear that the American Dream was not as easy to achieve as they had hoped.
Diego’s parents had to start from scratch to build a decent life in a new country, and he was there to witness it all. Later they had two daughters, Gabriel and Isabella, the OP, who always looked up to their older brother.
The parents struggled financially for years. His father worked minimum wage jobs at a convenience store, and his mother became a nanny after Diego was older enough to help care for his sisters. After many years of living at the poverty level, they finally moved to a decent home, and their quality of life improved.
Diego spent most of his childhood with his mom, but she had a heart attack when he was 17. She spent seven days in the hospital and then died of heart failure. The days and weeks that followed were a blur of grief and confusion. He had always been a bright and cheerful kid, but now he was quiet and withdrawn.
Diego’s dad did his best to support the kids as a single parent. He opened a small store from his savings near where they lived so he could be more flexible with his hours.
Years passed, and the OP got into a fashion design program, and Gabriel went to college on a partial scholarship. The women were passionate about achieving their dreams and felt pressure to work hard as their parents had instilled.
According to the OP, Diego had never moved on after the passing of his mother and was not motivated like his sisters. He tried but never seemed to move on with his life. He worked in a restaurant for a short time but gave up after being frustrated with his boss.
He was 26 now, still living with his dad, sporadically working jobs when he felt he needed extra cash.
One night a conversation unfolded, and Diego’s father said, “What are you doing to improve your life? You have no real ambitions and seem to be ok drifting along. Are you planning to live here forever, or will you ever make your own family?” Diego sighed and said, “Why are you so bothered about me still being here – you know I can’t afford to move out?” A small fight ensured, and they both went to sleep upset.
Diego’s father realized how ungrateful his son was. He had had enough of Diego’s dullness towards life, so he decided to make a bold decision. Soon after, he sat with his son and told him that he had lived off him long enough and needed to move out and become self-sufficient.
Diego didn’t take this decision well. He mentioned to the OP, “He’s being selfish.” Diego’s father showed no emotion to the rest of the family after making his decision.
Months later, Diego lived in a low-cost, rundown rental at Carrizo Hill. Finding a place in his budget wasn’t easy – he was paying $90 a week for a double-bedroom apartment shared by one other middle-aged man. His father had given him $500 to get him on his feet.
The walls of the neighboring rooms were paper thin, and he would constantly hear the tenants next door taking and flushing the toilet. According to the OP, The apartment smelled like wet mildew and probably had a bug infestation.
He looked for several jobs and soon got hired at Walmart for a cashier job that was barely enough to pay his bills.
On the other hand, the OP’s father felt guilty for throwing him out and wasn’t sure he had achieved his initial goal of igniting ambition within his son.
Alexander Veros
Alex is a writer for Top Dollar Investor, focusing on lifestyle, travel, and business stories. Alex has started several online businesses and is a blogger who loves providing quality content to help others. He is passionate about affiliate marketing, finance, and cryptocurrency.
