After the divorce, my two children stayed with me. My son is eight, and my daughter, Lily, is fifteen. From the start, I knew taking care of them on my own would be hard. I work long hours at a local hospital, often coming home late at night, completely exhausted. Yet I still have to cook, clean, and help my son with his homework. I do it all because I love my children, but it can be stressful.

Lily, however, refuses to help with anything. She sits in her room most of the time, on her phone or watching movies. She never wants to do chores, and she often complains about anything I ask her to do. If I tell her to help me with dinner, she says she doesn’t know how to cook. If I ask her to keep an eye on her brother for a few minutes, she rolls her eyes and says she is busy. I have tried talking to her calmly, explaining that it’s a team effort to keep our home running smoothly. But she seems to think she shouldn’t have to lift a finger.

One evening, after a particularly long shift, I came home to a sink full of dirty dishes. My little boy was hungry, waiting for me to cook dinner, and Lily was lying on the couch with headphones on. I felt an overwhelming sense of frustration. It was clear she had done nothing to help while I was gone. No sweeping, no dishes, no laundry—just a pile of her belongings scattered in the living room.

I asked her politely if she could at least set the table for dinner. Lily took off her headphones and said, “Why should I? That’s your job.” Her cold tone and dismissive look made my blood boil. But instead of yelling, I took a deep breath. I remembered I needed a plan, not just anger.

The next day, before leaving for work, I sat Lily down at the kitchen table. I told her, “You need to help out around the house. If you refuse to do chores, then I will treat you like an adult who rents a room here. In other words, you will have to pay me rent.” She looked at me wide-eyed, at first confused, then angry. “I’m fifteen!” she snapped. “You can’t charge me rent.” I calmly repeated that those were the new rules: help out, or pay rent.

She stormed off to her room, slamming the door. I expected her to complain or whine about it, but I had no idea what would happen next. Early the next morning, I went to work as usual. Late in the afternoon, I heard my front door open, and there stood my ex-husband, Lily right behind him with a triumphant smirk on her face. He wore an expensive suit, like always, and I could see by his raised eyebrows that he was ready for a fight.

“How dare you? She’s a child!” he shouted, pointing at Lily. “You have no right to charge her rent.” He went on a long rant about how I was cruel for expecting Lily to pay any money toward household costs, especially when she didn’t earn much of an allowance, if any.

I folded my arms and listened. Lily stood there, grinning, probably thinking she had me cornered. I could tell she believed her father’s presence would force me to give in to her. But what she didn’t know was that this was exactly what I had hoped would happen. In truth, Lily’s father has never paid much child support, claiming financial issues. Yet here he was, wearing a designer watch, scolding me about money.

After he finished shouting, I spoke calmly. “You’re right,” I said. “She is a child, and children should learn responsibility. But she has refused to do any chores or help with her little brother. That leaves me to do it all, on top of working long hours. If she won’t help, then she must pay rent. Otherwise, it’s not fair to me or her brother.”

My ex-husband paused, looking at me as if I had two heads. “What do you mean pay rent?” he asked. “She doesn’t have money!” I shrugged. “Then you’ll have to provide it. Because somebody has to help with the cost of her living here if she won’t do chores. Do you realize I am raising two kids mostly alone, with little financial assistance from you? So it’s either she helps, or you pay more for child support. Which will it be?”

Lily’s face dropped. She clearly hadn’t thought about that possibility. She must have imagined her father would swoop in, yell at me, and that I would back down. Now, she saw it wasn’t going to be so simple. My ex-husband looked taken aback too. He started saying something about not having extra cash, then stopped. The room went quiet for a moment.

I gently continued, “Lily can do simple tasks—load the dishwasher, sweep the floor, watch her brother for ten minutes so I can shower. I’m not asking her to do everything. I just need a bit of help. If that is too much, then I must treat her like a tenant. That’s the only fair solution I see.”

My ex-husband’s anger began to fade, replaced by an uneasy look. He knew he hadn’t been there to help much, and now he had to face that. Lily stood there, no longer smirking. I think she realized her father could not simply fix everything the way she had hoped. If he did agree to pay for her, it would mean more money out of his pocket. And if he refused, then Lily would have to do chores.

Without another word, my ex-husband turned around and left the house, Lily following behind. I heard her say, “Dad, where are you going?” and then the door slammed shut. I watched them walk to the car, having a heated conversation. Later that evening, Lily returned alone, looking a bit embarrassed. She sat across from me and asked, in a quieter voice than usual, “So… what chores do you want me to do?”

I smiled gently, holding back a sigh of relief. “Let’s start small,” I said. “You can begin by clearing the dinner table and loading the dishwasher each night. We’ll go from there.” She nodded, eyes downcast. I could see the resentment in her face, but also a sign of acceptance. We both understood this was the first step toward finding a better balance at home.

Of course, I know that things won’t change overnight. Lily might still resist, and my ex-husband might cause more problems. But at least now, there is a plan in place. I won’t have to break my back doing everything by myself, and Lily will learn something about responsibility and how to be part of a household.

For now, we are taking it one day at a time. I’m choosing to believe this could be a positive turning point. But I can’t help wondering what will happen next if Lily goes back to her old ways or if her father decides to escalate the argument.

So, let me ask you: if you were in my situation, would you make your teenage child do chores with the threat of paying rent, or would you try a different approach?