Unfiltered Story #252472

(I own a restaurant. I’ve given my daughter a position as a waitress there, as she has been having difficulty finding a job. My daughter is 21, and an almost textbook example of a spoiled child. Her behavior at the restaurant isn’t much different from at home – she is very rude, complains about her duties, and slacks around most of the time. She’s only been working for me for 2 months and I’ve already warned her twice about her behavior. Then, this happens one day.)

Line Cook: Hey [my name], I just wanted to say goodbye before I leave for the last time.

Me: You’re leaving us? Why, are you moving out of town?

Line Cook: I got fired.

Me: Fired? By who?

Line Cook: Your daughter.

Me: Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me. Wait here.

(I already know what has happened. My daughter periodically orders other restaurant staff, including kitchen staff, to do menial stuff like sweep the dining room floors or clean up her messes. She then threatens to fire them if they don’t, even though she has no authority to do so. This is the first time she has actually made good on her threats. I leave the office and find her sitting in a booth, texting. I bring her to the office.)

Me: [Daughter], what is wrong with you?

Daughter: He wasn’t cleaning up the mess that I told him to!

Me: He is a line cook. His job is to prepare food. It is not his duty to clean up your messes. YOU are responsible for cleaning up your own messes. But more importantly, what is this that I hear about you firing him?

Daughter: I can fire him if I want, Mom! I’m your daughter, I can do anything in this restaurant and say it’s on your behalf!

Me: Listen, [Daughter]. Just because you’re related to me doesn’t mean you can do things that you wouldn’t have authority to do otherwise, and then say you’re doing it on my behalf. I’ve discussed this with you in the past, but this time, you’ve crossed the line. I absolutely cannot and will not tolerate your behavior in my restaurant any longer. You can’t work for me anymore.

Daughter: YOU CAN’T FIRE ME! I’M YOUR DAUGHTER!

Owner: And if I’d have known that you’d bring the house drama to my restaurant, I’d never have hired you, and I’d have told you to look for another job. So now I’m going to say it officially: you need to find another job. We’ll discuss this more with your father when I get home.

(She storms out of the restaurant. I apologize to the line cook and tell him that he is not fired. When I return home and tell my husband what happened, he puts his foot down and gives her one month’s notice to move out of our house. Her initial plan was to move in to her boyfriend’s condo, but his landlord refused to allow it. She ultimately moves in with my son, who she has looked up to since she was a toddler. Although he hesitates at first, he agrees to let her stay at his house. A year later, things haven’t improved. My daughter has lost three different jobs since moving in to my son’s house, and also lost her driver’s license over a road rage incident in Boston. Her boyfriend broke up with her, she has been spending most of her money on alcohol, and she hasn’t paid rent to her brother in three months. My son’s patience is running dry with his little sister at this point. He plans to evict her if she doesn’t pay her balance in full this month.)