Mom sparks debate for giving son’s bedroom away to foster child

Molly Byrne
A foster mom sparked a debate online after giving her son's bedroom away to their foster daughter.

A foster mom has sparked a debate online after revealing that she is giving her 19-year-old son’s bedroom to their foster daughter, despite his wishes not to do so. 

There’s a special place in this world for those who open their homes and hearts to kids who need a home and guardians to watch over them.

Sure, the food bill may increase, there could be less time for everyone in the house to use the bathroom, and of course, the inevitable bickering — especially with kids of all ages.

But for one foster mom who has taken kids in for over a decade, her responsibilities just became even more stressful, as her 19-year-old son has disapproved of his parents giving his bedroom away to their foster daughter. 

A foster mom sparked a debate online after giving her son's bedroom away to their foster daughter.
A foster mom sparked a debate online after giving her son’s bedroom away to their foster daughter.

Reddit thinks the foster mom doesn’t have enough room in her home for all her kids

For over a decade, a poster on Reddit has fostered children of all ages. She and her partner also have biological kids of their own.

Though four children were already living in the Poster’s house when she got the call that five siblings needed placement, she jumped at the first opportunity to help them.

But what about the living situation? Well, this particular foster mom had to make a few adjustments in her home to be able to house at least nine children. Not to mention, the additional adult kids of hers who go home from time to time that she would have to make room for, as her 19-year-old son would be visiting on occasion during his stay away at college.

Though deep down she knew what she would do to make sure the kids had the proper sleeping arrangements, someone was going to get hurt in the decision-making — her 19-year-old son being that person.

After telling her son that he would no longer have a bedroom in the house, as the foster mom planned on giving it to their foster daughter, the son ended up arguing with his father who was also part of the decision — resulting in the lengthy Reddit post sharing the story where the mom also asked if she was the “a—hole” in the situation.

Since asking for the opinions of Reddit readers, the foster mom received many thoughts from others, with most people thinking that she and her partner didn’t have the right amount of room in their home for everyone they’ve dedicated themselves to. 

One commenter took to her post to share their opinion, saying, “[She] does not have space to support the number of foster kids she’s committed to, at least not in a way that’s comfortable for the kids already in the family. When it starts having a negative impact on family dynamics, it’s time to stop.”

While another agreed, saying, “He is your biological son, you have basically just told him he has been kicked out of his home. Of course, he is upset, where the hell does he go outside of term time now you have given his room away? What next, are you going to give all his stuff away as well?”

The commenter continued, “You choose to foster, this is a good thing but it shouldn’t be to the detriment of your own children.”

Though most readers didn’t answer the Poster’s question on whether or not she was the “a—hole,” she did, however, receive a slightly unanimous opinion on the fact that she just doesn’t have the space to provide for everyone she wanted to.

The foster mom has yet to comment back to those who shared their thoughts, but she did end her post saying that the next day, she would be giving the 19-year-old’s bedroom to their foster daughter no matter what.