“That Is Manipulation”: Woman Calls Out Mothers for Poor Parenting After Kids Start Working

• A life coach shared a video calling out parents who make their children feel guilty once they start working
• She said mothers shouldn't tell their kids how much they sacrificed because they chose to have them
• South Africans had mixed reactions, with some disagreeing and saying they owe their parents everything

A life coach sparked a heated debate after she called out mothers for their parenting tactics. TikTok user @lundi_thelifecoach posted a video on 8 October 2025 discussing how some parents manipulate their children once they start working. In the clip, she advises on what parents do and why they shouldn't be doing this to working children.

She explains that when a child starts working, they don't automatically owe their parents for being alive. She points out that parents chose to have their children, so they can't turn around and act like the child now owes them. She says parents groom their kids to feel guilty by telling them how much they struggled and sacrificed. She argues that mothers who tell their kids how far they could have been in life if it weren't for them are using manipulation.

Read also

Mpumi 'Mrs Mops' Mophatlane opens up about raising deeply rooted kids: "My kids don't fear me"

The woman explains that parents could have been far in life if they started with the things they should have done first, not because of their children. She says it's because of poor decisions that parents didn't plan their kids properly. She claims some parents listened to everyone else, watched their peers progressing and decided to have a child regardless of not having enough money, a home, medical aid, transportation or even a proper school.

She says once parents start struggling, which is inevitable, it becomes the child's responsibility as soon as they get employed. The parent becomes their firstborn, which she states is very unnatural. She adds that parents then groom their kids to feel guilty for the rest of their lives, to the point where they can't even buy themselves underwear in peace because they owe their parents for being alive. She stresses that children don't owe their parents for a decision that was made without their consent.

Mzansi reacts to the video

Social media users shared their thoughts, with most disagreeing with TikToker @lundi_thelifecoach's clip:

@asanda_madi2 disagreed:

"Ooh, I owe my mom everything; she's never manipulated me to think so. However, I've witnessed her hidden blood, sweat and tears, and I want to sweat just as much 😍😍 It's her time to shine, and no one can convince me otherwise ☺️❤"

Read also

DJ Sbu sparks outrage with sentiments on follower count not translating to riches

@mosimanegape_maseko wrote:

"Mina, I owe my mom, I won't let anyone mislead/ tell me otherwise. Finish and klaar."

@beyonce_knowles shared:

"My everyday life 💔Oh Sana, that's why I'm moving out, I'm carrying so much at just 22."

@gugu_phiri said:

"Aww, my parents still give me money even though I'm currently working ❤"

@spakes08 added:

"I am a proud mum. When my son started working, I said he should not contribute anything, BUT I want to see his savings account statement. He must save, and we agreed on the amount to save monthly. He opened his own business using his savings, and the business is successful."

@puleng_selela explained:

"This post is about parents who are entitled. We can make them happy of our own will, not that we owe them."

Watch the TikTok clip below:

3 Other parents and their children

• Briefly News recently reported on Prince Kaybee opening up about grief following his mother's passing.
• Nandi Madida celebrated her son Shaka's first solo exhibition on his 9th birthday, praising his achievement.
• A man discovered through a DNA test that his dad wasn't his biological father, but he never stopped being one.

Source: Briefly News