Teen Stealing $2,000 From His Mom to Party in Another State Sparks Fury

A 17-year-old who stole $2,000 from his mom's account and ran off to party in another state is being slammed online.

In a post shared to Reddit on November 21, the boy's mother (u/throwaway462o2) wrote that she was "beyond furious," but didn't know what to do about her son's increasingly bad behavior.

Although Redditors were sympathetic to the mom's plight, many suggested that she needs to be tougher on her son before he ends up in serious trouble.

What Is Normal Behavior for a Teenager?

Parenting consultant Roma Norriss said that "heavy discipline" is not always the best approach for curbing a rebellious teen's behavior.

"Some of the things our teenagers do are utterly shocking and distressing," she told Newsweek.

"But it's actually more helpful for parents to read this kind of thing as a form of communication."

Norriss said that, by adolescence, children are old enough to know the difference between right and wrong, but may be acting out as a cry for attention.

"We tend to want to move in with lecturing and heavy discipline to make sure the behavior stops, but this can erode the (often already fragile) relationship we have with our teen," Norriss added.

"Instead, remind yourself that, if your kid is not making good decisions, they are not in a good space and need your help."

'Actions Have Consequences'

In her post, throwaway462o2 wrote that she and her ex-husband were divorced, but on good terms. They co-parent together, but their 17-year-old son lives with her.

Since he was 14, the boy has been making her life "a living hell." He began sneaking out to see girls and not doing his homework, but the mom has struggled to discipline him.

"I've always been very relaxed when it came to the discipline stuff because my father abused me as a kid," the Redditor wrote.

"I'd take his phone rather than keep him from his friends, or make it so he had to come straight home after school, but the behavior only got worse."

In recent months, her son's attitude appeared to be improving. He told her his issues were down to missing his father, who lives three states away due to work, and feeling stressed. To reward his behavior, the mom added him to her bank account, so he could "spend money on stuff he liked."

However, she soon regretted that decision. One morning, she got up at 7 a.m. to get a glass of water, and realized her son was missing from his bed.

"Of course I start furiously calling and calling him but he's not answering," the mom wrote.

"I see I have several texts from my bank about various amounts being spent from his card. I immediately disabled his card from my banking app."

Heartbroken, throwaway462o2 posted that she "cried and cried." Her son has stolen $2,000 in total, putting her in financial difficulty.

After calling her ex-husband, she messaged her son to tell him how angry and disappointed she was, but didn't get a response until two hours later.

"He finally answered at 9, saying he was over state lines and couldn't come home immediately," she wrote.

"When he did finally get home however, we had a huge altercation. I did throw stuff at him and told him to get out of my house. I have never felt so out of control."

The son's excuse was that he had a new girlfriend and wanted to impress her and his friends, some of whom were "as old as 21."

"I told his father he needs to fly down here and get him," the mom wrote.

"I'm tired of putting up with abuse from my son and this was the last f****** straw.

"I've been calling my bank to get this all sorted out but I feel like I've just been stabbed in the heart."

Many Reddit users were angry on the mom's behalf, with the post receiving almost 10,000 upvotes and 1,300 comments.

"You tell your son to get a job and he is to pay you back every red cent," wrote mcmurrml. "This will teach him to pay his debts and responsibility."

"If he's old enough to blow that kind of money on impressing a bunch of idiots, then he's old enough to get a job and pay it all back," commented Stabbmaster.

However, some users felt that throwaway462o2 should have taught her son better rules and boundaries, before the situation got out of control.

"Look I'm not saying this is your fault but alot of it is," wrote thecheekymonkey. "You can instill discipline and respect in a child without beating them."

MysticSmear agreed, commenting: "I highly doubt he's learned actions have consequences. And I don't think she will start teaching him now."

Actual-catlady wrote: "You let him have unlimited access to your money? What happened to giving kids a weekly allowance AFTER completing chores or something? This seems insane."

In an update in the comments, the poster wrote that she didn't want him to get a job so he could focus on afterschool activities such as sports. Nevertheless, she has told him to sell his consoles and computer, and the son will be moving in with his father.

"I've put up with him for long enough and I think it's time for him to be with his dad for awhile," the mom posted. "He's a lot tougher than I am."

Throwaway462o2 isn't the only Redditor to fall out with a family member over money. A man turned to the True Off My Chest forum in August for advice, after his wife and stepchild were caught stealing from his daughter, while a woman posted in October that she was refusing to pay for her stepsister's college tuition after she stole her boyfriend.

Newsweek has reached out to u/throwaway462o2 for comment but was not able to verify the details of the case.