A mom has sparked a heated conversation online after she shared the ‘controversial’ things she makes her kids pay for with their own money.
Popular influencer Jessica Broderick, 37, from South Carolina, has racked up over 2.5 million followers on TikTok for documenting her life as a mother-of-two.
She explained in a now-viral video that her daughter, 14, and son, 12, are expected to cover the cost of any ‘sweet treats’ they want, as well as DoorDash deliveries, room decor, and random Amazon orders.
And the social media star’s admission led to a fierce discussion about kids having to pay for their own stuff.
‘Controversial things I make my kids pay for,’ Jessica began in the clip, which has been viewed more than 1.2 million times.
Before delving into the things she makes her teen and pre-teen use their own money for, she pointed out that on top of a weekly allowance, she pays them for ‘being in her videos on social media.
‘I just want to start by saying I pay my kids a weekly allowance and they get money from being in my videos on social media, so they do get quite a bit of money,’ she explained.
First, Jessica said she will not cover the cost of any extra desserts they want to purchase.
Popular influencer Jessica Broderick, 37, sparked a heated conversation online after she shared the ‘controversial’ things she makes her kids pay for with their own money
‘If I say, “Hey, let’s go out for ice cream,” I’m paying for the ice cream. But if my daughter wants to go to Crumbl Cookies, like, if [my kids] want a sweet treat and it’s not something we’re doing together as a family, then they’re the ones that are paying for it,’ she shared.
And if they get a ‘craving for something’ and want to order it on DoorDash, that’s coming out of their own bank account too.
‘The second thing is DoorDash, obviously if we’re doing DoorDash for dinner together as a family then I’m gonna be the one paying for it, but if they’re just like craving something and they want their own DoorDash, they’re gonna be the ones that are paying for it,’ continued Jessica.
‘My daughter does this especially, she’ll just be in the mood for something specific and she just orders herself DoorDash.’
The mom-of-two then shared that her kids tend to ‘place a lot of Amazon orders,’ and are responsible for paying for them all themselves.
‘If they want something off their Amazon wish list, most of the time they’re gonna be buying it for themselves,’ she dished.
‘I get stuff for them all the time so they’re not getting nothing from me, but if they want something specific that they just want to order, they just go ahead and order it themselves on Amazon.’
Lastly, Jessica said her kids pay for their own room decor.
She explained in a now-viral video that her daughter, 14, and son, 12, are expected to cover the cost of any ‘sweet treats’ they want, as well as DoorDash deliveries and Amazon orders
‘I will buy them stuff for their room, like I obviously bought their beds and their furniture, but if they want something specific for their room like decor, then they usually are buying that,’ she said.
Jessica admitted that she knows her stance is a ‘little bit controversial’ but reminded viewers that her children ‘have more money than the average kid’ because of their social media paychecks.
In addition, she vowed that she has them ‘put the majority of their money’ into savings accounts for their future.
‘I make them put the majority of the money they get from social media into savings accounts for when they go to move out start their future,’ she added.
‘I know this can be a little bit controversial, but I will say my kids probably have more money than the average kid because I do pay them for social media and for being in my videos,’ she concluded. ‘And that’s on top of their regular allowance.’
Viewers rushed to the comment section to share their thoughts on the topic, and many praised Jessica for teaching her children financial discipline at a young age.
‘So you pay for their needs and they pay for their wants. Great way to teach financial discipline,’ one person wrote.
‘I like this that you’re still having them pay for some things that they want to have,’ agreed another.
‘This is smart I wish I knew about finances when I was younger and how much the extra things could have cost,’ penned someone else.
‘All so valid,’ read a fourth comment, while a fifth said, ‘Seems like smart parenting to me.’
‘Honestly, fair enough. It’s the best way to teach about financial responsibility from a young age,’ applauded a different user.
‘I feel like as long as they have allowance and are earning money from the social media THEY are involved in, this is OK,’ added someone else.
Jessica previously spoke to People about how she’s teaching her children to be financially responsible.
‘My initial goal, that I think any parent could achieve, is teaching them the value of what things cost and how to use money responsibly,’ she said.
‘There’s no such thing as unlimited money. Having them learn that at a young age was something I really wanted them to understand.
‘I wanted to teach them as much about money as I could while they are younger, so finances aren’t overwhelming when they become adults or even when they get their first job.’
