Mom Explains Why 12-Year-Old Daughter Has Her Own Apartment—Stuns Internet – ryan

A mom from Missouri has come clean on why her pre-teen has her own apartment—and the internet can’t get enough of the living arrangement.

Audrey Barton, a planning and organizing content creator, posted a clip on TikTok (@organizedchaos4), walking viewers through the apartment—an area built above the family’s garage—while she cleans it.

The decision to provide her daughter with what some people on social media have dubbed an “apartment” came after a house fire that left the family re-evaluating their future.

“After our house fire, which just broke us mentally and emotionally, we asked ourselves how can we turn this tragedy into a blessing, so we started thinking about our kids,” Barton told Newsweek.

Rather than simply rebuilding, she and her husband saw an opportunity to think long-term. “We aren’t rich so we won’t have assets or a trust fund to give them, but by creating places for them to live into adulthood, they can save up their money for a down payment on a home of their own which is like our version of generational wealth,” she said.

According to Barton, her 12-year-old loves having her own space but clarified that her daughter isn’t living in a separate building and lives in the area above their garage.

The living arrangement has been the perfect fit for her daughter, who enjoys her independence but remains close to the family.

“She’s the oldest too so sometimes she likes escaping up there from her little brothers’ craziness. She still comes down for family dinner and to hang out,” Barton said.

While her daughter takes care of the day-to-day maintenance, Barton offers a helping hand by doing a “clean sweep” once every two months.

The mom touched on the importance of offering grace to her children by showing them kindness and doing underserved favors.

“They might not deserve my help in cleaning their room, but I’m going to offer it to them anyway. One of my love languages is acts of service, so I actually enjoy doing this for my children once in a while,” she said in her clip.

Barton’s cleaning video has amassed over 11 million views and over 7,500 comments, dividing viewers.

Some were in disbelief over the sheer size of the “apartment”, declaring it bigger than their own properties, especially where the housing market is challenging for first-time buyers.

“This apartment is a bigger floor plan than my 2-bed flat in the U.K.,” one user wrote.

Many others praised the mom for providing this space to benefit her daughter’s financial security. “Y’all thought long term, you’re setting them up for success and showing them so much love,” another commented.

“She will be forever grateful, truly,” a third said.

In general, Barton doesn’t pay much attention to online chatter and may only check a handful of comments.

“I’ve been creating content for years, so I’ve learned to keep a distance so to speak. Once I see a video of mine is doing well, I know it’s probably getting a lot of mixed reactions about something I’ve said so I kind of steer clear of reading the comments at that point,” she said.