if a parent does not take a few dollars from the "adult child" (they are allowed to vote, drink and drive at 18 - then the kids will spend the money at "several dollars per drink" (watso has no idea these days) at some night club.... so there is no harm in telling a kid, that food costs money - that the electricity costs money - and the labor involved in cooking, cleaning etc, should be rewarded.
board is simply a transitional stage, between being a school kid, and living without parental support... the process is a bit like the animal kingdom where the offspring are taught to hunt, prior to being cast off.
watso paid board after leaving high school - but from time to time, he fell behind - after all, there were more important things on which the money could be spent... watso's mother would get upset, watso would argue, and then watso would pay - and watso simply knew, that was fair
watso had a step daughter, and she was determined not to pay board - watso was not remotely going to benefit (even though watso owned the house) - but her mother told her that she had to pay board . the arrangement was that watso paid all costs associated with the house (ie rates, electricity etc), school costs for the common children - and food was a bit of a laissez faire type of approach - we had common children.
anyway, the step daughter (17.5 years old) moved out, on principle - but two months later she returned - and she paid board to her mother, even though watso paid most of the costs.
for what it is worth, but she was a wonderful step daughter - with an incredibly strong mothering instinct ... she did everything for watso's children
