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Jonnie had several kids, but she singled out her teenage daughter in a way that still shocks me. While her other children weren’t expected to work, Jonnie demanded that her daughter hand over every single penny she earned from her part-time job. Every check. Every dollar. Gone—straight to the household bills.
The daughter did it out of a sense of responsibility. Some of the kids were very young while other were of working age.
Jonnie’s daughter didn’t just face financial abuse from her mother—her so-called father wasn’t much better. He never paid a dime in child support. Not once. Yet, when she worked hard, put herself through college, and earned her degree completely on her own—without help from either parent—he still had the audacity to take credit.
At family gatherings, it became a twisted joke. He’d proudly announce, “I’m her dad,” as if showing up for a few laughs erased years of absence and neglect. However, family members on both sides encouraged their behavior.
But luckily, Jonnie’s daughter wasn’t fooled—and neither were the people who truly knew her story. She had built herself from the ground up, and no one could take that away from her.
It wasn’t about teaching responsibility or helping the family get by temporarily. No, Jonnie saw this as a permanent way of living. She thought it was the daughter's responsibility to take care of her. Because she wanted to continue getting her benefits while living at a certain status. It became legal slavery. It was about control. And it didn’t stop there.
The other kids in the family were so traumatized by watching how Jonnie treated her daughter, they grew up not wanting children. But they repeated that cycle.
When the daughter pushed back and wouldn’t allow Jonnie to use her identity or ruin her credit, Jonnie got angry. And kicked her out of the house.
Furious. Imagine that—getting mad because you want to wreck your own child’s financial future. That’s not just bad parenting. That’s financial abuse.
And it broke this young girl’s spirit so. She was desperate for a sense of safety in her own home.
This Is an American Problem!
What happened to that girl isn’t rare—it’s just rarely talked about.
We live in a country where we seem to pay people to stay poor. Government programs are often designed to keep people in cycles of poverty instead of helping them rise out of it. It's slavery
Strangely, able-bodied adults—those who are working hard, paying taxes, and trying to build stable lives—get almost no support at all.
I’ve heard too many stories of hardworking adults who suddenly lose their jobs, only to be denied help with mortgage or rent because they "made too much" on paper—never mind the reality of bills and the rising cost of living.
Many can’t get help simply because they don’t have children. Some can’t even afford healthcare when they need it most.
Women often face unique challenges that shape their choices and opportunities. When a woman struggles to feed herself or lacks basic security, every decision becomes harder—especially since women are often the primary caregivers for children.
Fertility issues, financial stress, and lack of support can weigh heavily on women. On top of that, workplace challenges make it even tougher. Many women face career setbacks when they take time off for pregnancy and child-rearing.
In most countries, women are granted generous maternity leave—often a year or more—to care for their newborns and recover. But in America, most women are only given a few weeks or months of leave, often unpaid. This forces many to return to work before they’re ready, adding another layer of stress and difficulty.
All of these pressures—economic, physical, and emotional—impact women’s ability to make decisions and fully participate in society.
Meanwhile, I’ve also seen people with children—often single mothers—who openly admit they have no plans to work, trick the system. Free housing, free food, free childcare, free wifi, free everything.
Instead, they move from nonprofit to nonprofit, treating assistance programs like a full-time hustle just to cover their bills every month.
Now, this isn’t about shaming parents or saying we shouldn’t help mothers and children. Families do need support—especially single moms raising kids alone. But so does everyone.
But it raises a real question:
Why isn’t help going to those who truly need it, regardless of parental status? Why is the system designed to punish responsible, able-bodied adults who fall on hard times?
Losing your job shouldn’t automatically mean losing your home. When these industries announce massive layoffs, it’s not just about stock prices or market shifts—it’s thousands of people suddenly unable to pay rent, buy food, or access basic healthcare.
We need to stop ignoring this group—the workers, the tax-payers, the ones who don’t always fit the traditional "in-need" mold but are just one crisis away from disaster.
These are the people who suffer most when the economy tanks. They’re usually working, often supporting others, and trying to play by the rules—but the system leaves them behind.
We say we want stronger families in America. We say we value hard work. But how is anyone supposed to start or support a family when they’re living with constant uncertainty about jobs, careers, and financial security? When they fall on hard times, there's almost nothing available for them—no safety net, no grace period, no help.
America says it wants more families—but how are people supposed to build families when they’re too busy worrying about survival? Who can even think about intimacy when they’re stressed about job security, housing, or healthcare?
And ironically, these are often the most responsible people. They aren't blowing money recklessly. They’re usually saving, paying debts, and holding it all together quietly—but they're the least supported.
Financial Abuse Happens at Home and in Society
Jonnie Williams’s story shows how financial abuse starts small—in households where control is disguised as “teaching responsibility.” But it grows into something bigger.
It’s not just about parents like Jonnie taking their children’s earnings or trying to wreck their credit—it’s about a society that lets people slip through the cracks, punishing those who try their hardest while rewarding cycles of dependence.
There are a lot of “Jonnies” out there—both in households and in government offices. The truth is: America doesn’t just ignore responsible, working people—it often sets them up to fail.
We need to start asking harder questions:
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Why isn’t there more support for able-bodied adults working to improve their lives?
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Why do we shame people for asking for help, then punish them for trying to stand on their own?
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How can we say we value family and hard work, when we leave people alone in their hardest moments?
People love to criticize the millions of women and men choosing not to have children—but it all starts with support. You can’t expect people to build families in a society where starting over feels like trauma.
I recently spoke with a young man who lost his job at a major tech company. He opened up about his fear—not just of losing his home, but of losing custody of his children because he couldn’t afford the mortgage. He told me that the sheer anxiety of that possibility made him vow never to have kids.
And honestly, who could blame him?
We have to learn how to close that gap.
Until we answer those questions honestly, we’ll keep repeating this cycle—at home, in communities, and across the country.
