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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

DSS and work

35 replies

Blankscreen · 31/07/2024 08:00

DSS is 20 and lives with us full time has done for years.

He was due to go to uni in September and has decided he doesn't want to go and wants to be a day trader instead.

The back story is he had a girlfriend of 6 weeks who dumped just after Christmas. He was working an entry level job and saving up for uni.

Anyway the girl friend finished with him and he took it really badly.

He jacked in his job and wants to trade. He's isolated himself from all friends and literally never goes out. He's at home all the time except when he does his one 5 hr shift a week at another entry level job.

If I suggest going out with a friend I get a stupid reply of 'i'll go out when I'm rich'.

He's very vague about how much money he has as it feels as though he's always waiting for bitcoin to go up or some other story.

He says he likes the freedom but he feels like he is just gumming around. Having breakfast at 9:30 every day and the going off to the gym for a couple of hours in the afternoon.
He literally sits and watches you tube videos all day. Some are videos on how to trade some are Andrew Tate and others are about cars etc.

He had no money at all last week so DH lent him £50 to put petrol in the car. 2 days later he wanted borrow £500 DH said no.
His phone bill used to come out of my account and I got fed up with him not transferring the money for it. So we changed the dd to his account. First month the payment bounces. Fortunately it is a rolling contract but DH has now moved the payment to his account.

I have suggested that he needs to do more shifts and he basically got up and walked away refusing to do so. Apparently it's all a con, having a job. You make other people rich blah blah blah.

We have also really encouraged him to go to uni, try and get a job with some prospects to move up, go to college to get a trade or to try and get a degree apprenticeship. He refuses to do anything other than trade.

I was told, by him, that if he was at uni we would support him for 3 years so we should support him now when he is starting off trading. That was dismissed pretty quickly.

Dh has said that he must pay rent and he has for 2 months. I just know that this month he doesn't have any money so I expect he'll say he can't pay.

What on earth do we do?
Am I an old dinosaur that doesn't see new ways of making money?

It feels like he's in a cult and won't listen to reason.

I've said to DH that dss needs to get a job and do the trading around this or he needs to move out (not sure how that would be funded or enforced). I feel like dss needs to grow up.

DH is a bit soft on him and says stuff like he wants to support him and have a relationship with him. So not sure if I am being unreasonable.

Yes I know I'm the step mum and should butt out etc. but it's also my house he's living in and it's driving me mad.

As I know some of you will search back through my posts DSS persuaded DH into doing a bit of trading whilst he was out of work. He lost money and has stopped.

OP posts:
Wellieswithsocks · 31/07/2024 08:03

Clearly it’s ultimatum time, the real issue here is your DH.

Kitkat1523 · 31/07/2024 08:22

Your problem is your DH

Motomum23 · 31/07/2024 08:27

Not being at all unreasonable. If he feels that working for other people is a con then he needs good, reliable self employment that he actually grafts at - no one can make a shed load of money buying tat and selling it on.

neverbeenskiing · 31/07/2024 08:29

Your DH needs to think about what supporting his son really looks like. This isn't "support", it's enabling him. Supporting your DC means promoting their independence and encouraging them to become a functioning adult. He's not doing DSS any favours by burying his head in the sand and hoping this magically rights himself. I agree your DSS needs a job, DH can "support" him to find one.

Cm19841 · 31/07/2024 08:29

In our circumstances, we always said, either an 18+ year old is working full time (and pays some rent) or they are studying with the possibility of part time work. We paid for some student costs but there was also student finance and they needed to find work. This is with the expectation that when they graduate they could come back home for a period of time but must have a plan to be independent. It's an expectation that was accepted as the plan. I think this helps.

Your DH needs to make it clear to his son that working just 1 part time shift a week and being at home all day is not be an option at all. Wifi would be off!

AGodawfulsmallaffair · 31/07/2024 08:34

I wouldn’t support my own son in this lifestyle, so no, you’re not being unreasonable. He’d either get a job or move out, I’d be prepared to be very harsh to help him in the long run.

CantHoldMeDown · 31/07/2024 08:38

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

pasturesgreen · 31/07/2024 08:40

You need to get your DH on board and actually wanting to address the situation, until he isn't any suggestions you or us may have are utterly pointless.

BusyMum47 · 31/07/2024 09:00

neverbeenskiing · 31/07/2024 08:29

Your DH needs to think about what supporting his son really looks like. This isn't "support", it's enabling him. Supporting your DC means promoting their independence and encouraging them to become a functioning adult. He's not doing DSS any favours by burying his head in the sand and hoping this magically rights himself. I agree your DSS needs a job, DH can "support" him to find one.

This! ⬆️ He needs to get a proper paying job & indulge his trading dream around that. If he won't, then it's tough love time - for him AND your husband if he won't force the issue!!

Butterflyfern · 31/07/2024 09:08

Day trading is basically one step up from gambling.

One of DH's friends decided to day trade 10 years ago. He's since lost his house and moved back in with his mum. No plans to get a job or become self employed, despite being a skilled tradesman previously. He's 43 and a complete loser, I'm afraid to say. Doesn't understand why he can't find a girlfriend.

kcchiefette · 31/07/2024 09:26

Your DSS is basically just lazy.

I know plenty of people that trade and they work full time jobs and use this as a side hustle. It rarely is successful enough to do as full time work.

Your DH needs to support you also and tell his son he has x amount of months to find a job, or you will stop funding his lifestyle or lending any money.

Gall10 · 31/07/2024 09:26

Change the Wi-Fi password.
Put a lock on the fridge.
He wants money for petrol…..his car? Who bought it?
your car? Take him off the insurance policy.
You both seem to be enabling him to continue to waste his life.

VickyEadieofThigh · 31/07/2024 09:30

Dinosaur here - is day trading to do with crypto currency?

Octavia64 · 31/07/2024 09:31

Talk to your DH.

If his girlfriend has dumped him then he may be feeling very upset and many men struggle to deal with these feelings.

Has he actually cancelled his uni place or is that still a plan?

Personally (and I have late twenties children who had mh problems in their teens) I would let him have somewhere to live while strongly encouraging him to progress.

VickyEadieofThigh · 31/07/2024 09:31

Had my question hidden by MN for mentioning what day trading might be to do with. What is day trading, please?

DaisyChain505 · 31/07/2024 09:33

Your DH is the issue here. This is his child and he should be putting his foot down and telling HIS son what is expected In the home.

Doing his own washing, buying and cooking his own meals and paying his way! If he doesn’t like it, he’s old enough to move out.

Your husband is enabling him to be this way.

sixtyandsomething · 31/07/2024 09:33

"trading in bit coin" is another way of saying gambling addict.

Contact gamcare and ask for help

Or rather, get your partner to do so

Comingupriver · 31/07/2024 09:35

Your DSS is unwell. Or not completely well. Andrew tait and the likes are incredibly convincing that men deserve wealth and shouldn't have to work too hard, encouraging them to become isolated and therefore more dependent on their online lives at the same time. It’s. Hugely concerning. I think you need a gentle intervention of his parents do.

can you try and break this cycle by getting him away on holiday or change location? Ideally somewhere without Wi-Fi. Or encourage counselling? This is not healthy and is not going to change on its own. Best of luck op, you sound like you really care and it can’t be easy

Downthemedow · 31/07/2024 09:39

A friend of mine spent years following the stockmarket and trading. He treated it like a job. My understanding is that in order to make any money, you need a sizable capital to start with, to the tune of £30-40k. Where’s he going to get that from?

MotherofChaosandDestruction · 31/07/2024 09:39

Honestly it sounds like he's got a gambling addiction which trading bit coin etc is. Also watching Andrew Tate and joining his money making scam is also another red flag.

Do not enable him by giving him money and read up about gambling addictions.

Mrsttcno1 · 31/07/2024 09:40

There is big money to be made in trading but the reality is that to make that big money you have to already have big money to put in, and you also suffer big losses so have to be able to absorb those.

These tiktok traders etc don’t highlight that though!

Blankscreen · 31/07/2024 09:46

My view is that trading is basically gambling.

I've tried explaining to dss that if he needed to cash out now to pay bills he would be in serious trouble. It falls on deaf ears as someone in the group made £x today. It just feels like a con and dss has been suckered in almost like a MLM.

He had a place at uni for September which he had now rejected. (Apparently that is also just designed to suck you into the matrix). So the encouragement to do other stuff has been since April when he decided he was no longer going to uni.

Uni was always the plan 😢.

We bought him the car and paid for his insurance for the year (I know I know) but that was when he was going to uni. His insurance is due in September. Thinking about it you're right DH is the problem .

DH has told him only yesterday that if he can't afford it he'll pay and dss can pay him back 🤦🏼‍♀️.

I feel like the bad guy and I am actually feeling resentful.

Dss is in the kitchen now cooking his breakfast which he does everyday and will then settle down to watch TV whilst eating it.

I've said before breakfast needs to be done earlier but again I'm the bad guy and he's not doing any harm.

I think I might explode at dh

OP posts:
Gallowayan · 31/07/2024 09:47

80 % of retail investors lose money. Thats the explicit warning you see in the advertising for trading platforms. Your SS is obviously one of the 80%.

Those who are successfull have, much better knowledge, have access to much better software, and can command financial backing. They do not need to borrow a hundred quid off their dad.🙄

He sounds deluded and avoidant. You are quite right; he needs a wake up call.

BusyMum47 · 31/07/2024 09:50

You need to get really tough - he'll be living with you & bleeding you dry for bloody years otherwise!!

Whammyammy · 31/07/2024 09:51

At 20 my son was married, own house and good job.
This deadbeat and your DH need to get a grip.

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