It’s putting the “rent” in parent.
A college student living with her mother found herself stunned when presented with a contract demanding adherence to specific rules, or else face a $500 penalty.
The young woman, identified as Kayla, shared her disbelief in a TikTok video, noting the lack of prior discussion before the contract appeared.
In the viral clip, capturing the attention of 3 million viewers, Kayla explained that her hectic life leaves her “barely home.” She balances a full-time supervisory role while pursuing her college degree online.
Living in Alabama, the 22-year-old remarked that her visits to her childhood home are limited to “sleep, shower and get ready for work.” According to Newsweek, she frequently transitions from her office to her girlfriend’s residence.
Because she was making herself scarce, Kayla was shocked to return home one day and discover a “code of conduct” contract placed on her childhood bed.
The contract resembles a landlord’s official lease agreement and includes official clauses for doing the dishes, taking out the trash, keeping common areas clean, refraining from smoking indoors and replacing any food and beverages she consumes.
These commandments might seem like common courtesy to adults living with roommates — even ones who birthed them. But other clauses were a tad more involved, like pressure-washing the patio and bathing and grooming the family dog — including cleaning his eyes.
Perhaps most stringent were the rules regarding curfew and guests.
Kayla’s mother decreed that her squatter daughter could have company only if it’s been approved in advance, and that overnight visits are prohibited unless it’s a “confirmed best friend” — meaning no romantic partners, ever.
Kayla is also subject to a 1 a.m. curfew from Monday through Sunday unless she informs her mother in advance of an “estimated return time” and a “legitimate” excuse for staying out late. She must also keep tabs on her texts regularly and respond to her mother’s messages, per the contract.
If Kayla breaches the contract, she will have to “pay $500 on the 1st of each month to cover lodging expenses.” Shirking her daughterly duties for 30 days will result in eviction.
“Living in this home is a privilege and not a right,” the mother declared.
Kayla told her followers that she thinks the rules are an overreach, noting that she keeps things “clean,” and that a curfew is heavy-handed for post-high school living.
“I recently turned my location off so [my mother] can’t see where I’m at,” said Kayla, who also took umbrage at the rules surrounding her girlfriend’s visits.
She ultimately believes that the contract could be more about control or motivation to leave the nest — something she’s planning to do in December or January.
Many commenters were appalled over Kayla’s contract, with one writing, “I cannot ever imagine birthing a child into this world and telling them it’s a privilege they live under my roof WHAT!!!!”
Another deemed it “weird” for a parent to draw up a contract and speak to their child in “corporate language.”
“I wonder why my kids don’t talk to me anymore,” snarked a third.
Still, some viewers saw the method to her mom’s alleged madness, insisting that she was “preparing her for the big wide world and the responsibility of living on your own.”
A recent study by Realtor.com found that a record 25.2 million adults under 35 were living at home in 2025 because they couldn’t afford homes or wanted to save money.
The lion’s share of these stay-at-home adult children have jobs, but their wages can’t keep pace with inflation.