AITA: Son stirs talk about boundaries after he accuses his parents of stealing from him

Although parents frequently enjoy being involved in their children's lives, there are instances when they can go too far and cause needless conflict. This is what happened to a man who decided to set boundaries against his parents who he accused of stealing from his credit card without his permission.

The 28-year-old man explained his dilemna on Reddit's popular 'Am I The A*****e' subreddit, saying that his mother charged his card without his permission and "even worse since she knows I'm struggling right now and they didn't send the money until after i cancelled the subscription."

Redditor says his parents never apologized for 'stealing from me'

The author, under the username asomelord, revealed that his parents were "not on speaking terms", and began the post by writing that he wanted to "make sure I'm not in the wrong."

He wrote: "I (28M) feel like I can never win with them. A few years ago, as a trade to have access to their Netflix account I gave my mother my password to Prime Video. Throughout the years there have been multiple times when they've signed me up for subscription services (charging my credit card) on Prime because they wanted to watch a movie or show."

"The first few times I missed it until a few payment cycles in, they only paid me back (partially) after I called them out for it. This led me to wait until my credit card was expired, and since I was living paycheck to paycheck at that time, I just didn't update my payment information."

He further explained that he has since moved out with his 25-year-old girlfriend to a "new (cheaper and nicer) place, quit my job, and returned to school."

Consequently, he had a little more money to spend and has resumed making purchases on Amazon. He added that he agreed to work as a seasonal employee for a manager from my previous retail job after his parents complained that "I was being a burden to my girlfriend."

The man further explained that he "noticed a receipt for Paramount + in my email. My parents knew I was saving up for a nice date night (touring Broadway Musical and fancy seafood dinner) with my girlfriend."

"I immediately cancelled Paramount+, requested a refund, and changed my Prime password (due to the password sharing crackdown i can't use their Netflix anymore). After 10 minutes my father sent 20$ to me via email transfer (the subscription was 10.99), I returned it," he wrote.

He shared that he had a "yelling match" with his mother and wrote, "She argued that they paid me more than what it was worth and I never had a problem with it before. I argued I did have a problem with it every time she charged my card, I made it clear to her never to do it again every time."

"I also said that her charging my card without my permission is stealing, and even worse since she knows I'm struggling right now and they didn't send the money until after i cancelled the subscription. She hung up after saying "It's clear where your loyalties lie", never apologizing for stealing from me, and we haven't spoke since."

The author added that he was "pretty upset considering the discussion" he had with his mother but also believed that he was "justified."

Demanding an apology he wrote, "If I demand an apology she'll just say I'm "holding grudges like always", but I'm not, I'm willing to bury the hatchet if she holds herself accountable."

Internet users call man 'NTA' to set boundaries against 'toxic' parents

Online users, however, have taken sides with the original poster, as one commenter noted, "It looks to me like this was what’s broke the camel’s back. Your interpretation with your parents is toxic imho. NTA."

The second user explained, "While it's always tough to navigate dynamics with parents, it's clear that boundaries are being crossed here. Preserving your mental health is crucial, and if handing her this information solidifies your stance and leads to some much-needed reflections or changes, then it's a move in the right direction. NTA."

Explaining their own situation another Rediitor commented, "NTA. Making you feel less is what abusive or neglectful parents do. When I announced I was going to be going for my PhD instead of just my Bachelors my mother told me I wasn't smart enough. My advisor and my professors told me the opposite. My mother was wrong and so are your parents. My mother died 8 years ago and I don't miss her. Cut your parents off and your life will be better."

"NTA, you know you can get a replacement card (report it as lost & tell them the bank that you don't want the card associated/connected with your old accounts," chimed in another.

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