AITA for not giving my mom my TV?
A 16-year-old who has been working since age 14 finally saved enough for a 65-inch curved TV as part of his gaming setup. He ordered it online, but while he was at school, his unemployed mother unboxed and installed it in her own bedroom. When he confronted her, she declared it a “family TV” despite it being purchased entirely with his money. Furious, he moved it to his room and secured it—only for her to find the key and take it back.
The situation exploded into screaming, tears, and repeated thefts of the TV, ending with the teen deciding to return it for a refund. What makes this heartbreaking is the teen’s pride in his earnings clashing with a mother who contributes nothing financially yet feels entitled to his possessions, even threatening to destroy the TV while claiming ownership because he lives under her roof.
‘AITA for not giving my mom my TV?’
The teen worked hard and saved for months to buy his dream gaming TV.
His mother took it for herself and refused to return it.
The conflict escalated dramatically with repeated thefts and emotional outbursts.
This post exposes serious issues of entitlement, boundaries, and theft within a family. The teen purchased the TV entirely with his own earnings—making it unequivocally his property. His mother’s actions amount to stealing, regardless of her claim that anything under her roof belongs to the family. Such behavior undermines a young person’s independence and teaches that hard work can be confiscated without consequence.
Opposing perspectives might argue parents have authority over household items or that a minor’s purchases indirectly benefit from parental support (housing, food). However, those views collapse here: the mother contributes nothing financially, while the father works multiple jobs and the teen himself earns money. Her repeated theft and threat to destroy the item reveal control rather than care.
Broader patterns suggest narcissistic or emotionally immature parenting, where a parent views a child’s achievements as personal extensions to claim. Encouraging teens to work and save, then seizing the rewards, erodes trust and motivation. Healthy families celebrate such milestones, not appropriate them.
Check out how the community responded:
Most users declared the teen firmly not the asshole, condemning the mother’s entitlement and theft.
![[Reddit User] − NTA, why do you think that you would be?](https://en.aubtu.biz/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/wp-editor-1767087633404-6.webp)
Several offered practical advice drawn from similar experiences.
![[Reddit User] − Your mother is a complete maniac a__hole. Welcome to the club. We often don't realise until we're adults, there's something built into our instincts to make us...](https://en.aubtu.biz/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/wp-editor-1767087651016-1.webp)
A couple added sarcasm or disbelief to underscore the absurdity.
The community overwhelmingly agrees the teen is not the asshole—his mother’s repeated theft of an item he alone paid for is indefensible, and returning it to protect his investment seems like the safest choice given her threats. Many expressed sympathy and urged him to safeguard future earnings until he can move out.
Have you ever had a parent or family member claim something you bought with your own money? How common is this kind of entitlement in households where one parent doesn’t work? What advice would you give a teen dealing with a situation like this?
