Parents place restraining order on son who’s draining them of money

When children are desperate for money its not uncommon for them to reach into their parents’ bank accounts for some assistance, but one man in the UK has taken it too far.

Matthew Kerley, 24, has been banned from contacting his own parents for five years after pestering them so much for funds a restraining order had to be taken out.

In just one day, the young father of two is reported by news.com.au to have called his parents Paul and Coreen Kerley 30 times, leaving them feeling extremely stressed and anxious.

While any loving parent would be willing to lend a helping hand in times of need, Matthew was reportedly lying about what the money was for and hassling his mum and dad if they didn’t fork out the cash.

“These (phone calls) have also been in the middle of the night. A number of messages have also been received criticising them, before asking yet again for money,” prosecutor Liam Hunt told Southhampton Magistrate’s Court.

Matthew, who restores vintage aircraft’s for a living, was jailed for 32 weeks last year and during this time still pestered his anxious parents for cash.

However, according to his lawyer Julie Macey, the time in prison has done Matthew “the world of good” and he understands his actions were wrong.

“He has a friend to go and stay with now, so things are looking up. He acknowledges he caused his parents a lot of stress and anxiety, and that it had to stop,” she said.

“He is looking a lot healthier than when I saw him three weeks ago.”

While things are looking up for the stressed parents, it seems they are not the only ones struggling to separate finances from their children.

Many adults are making their way back to the family home as they cannot afford to live alone and it is causing significant stress on mums and dads who are already strict with their savings.

Read more: When your adult children are asking for too much

As a way of not drying up their bank accounts, some parents are making a point of saying board must be paid if their children choose to live with them. 

While others insisted they would need to help out around the house with daily chores if they couldn’t make up the money.

“If they are receiving an income I think they should contribute. If parents don’t need the money or feel uncomfortable about asking I think they still should ask for board as it is a valuable lesson for young adults that there is a cost for the food they eat, the electricity and water,” Barbara, a Starts at 60 community member, said.

Read more: Baby Boomers say yes, adult children should pay board

Have you had an adult child who was asking for too much money? How did you handle the situation?