How do you handle a freeloader?

I stop giving and start avoiding.

Same or me as @jca.

The ONLY way is to get rid of them. Remove them or remove yourself from the situation. I speak from years of experience. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY.

Tossed him out and divorced him. I do not lend him money anymore. If he doesn’t have money when it’s his weekend with the boy, he doesn’t get him.

It’s a problem of definitions. After all, most little kids and the great bulk of our pets meet the requirements for classification. “Treatment” varies greatly with the individual. There are some freeloaders with compensating characteristics. And then there are circumstances behind the mooching to be considered.

I tend to deal with freeloaders on a case by case basis and will like @stanleybmanly consider compensating characteristics.

5 years ago I had a Fraternity Brother call on me and begged me to help him out as his rent was due that day and he needed $600.00 to cover the rent due. He proceeded to give me this sob story how tough it is for him as he was still is an aspiring actor waiting for that big break and how he needs to use what little money he makes from donating sperm at $50.00 per pop to pay for his internet and cell phone and how he can’t take on a job so he can be available to go on auditions. The thoughts that went through my head this whole conversation are not ones I will repeat here. I agreed to help him out and then the stories of how he will one day fly me to LA and party hard when he hits it big began. 5 years later he still hasn’t earned his SAG card nor repaid the money.

That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Those of us with temperaments prone to enslavement by the muses. We all know them—artists, musicians, actors, writers. Folks whose dreams and goals amount to vows of lifelong poverty. I’ve been puzzled for most of my life at the enormous profusion of such people that are interwoven with my existence, and more often than not find myself grateful and relieved that I possess absolutely no discernible talent nor ambition luring me toward destitution. I’ve thought about this a lot, and the twin tragedies of talent unrewarded or no talent paired with steadfast commitment. In the end, you wind up to some extent feeding, adopting, nurturing these folks, because at bottom, the world remains wonderful as long as there are people chasing dreams.

I think that some people need and some people want everything that others have. I have tried to please a lot of people that I have come across, but sometimes it’s difficult and you have to say you just can’t deal with situations.
Sometimes you can’t solve everyone’s situations. All you can do is help when you can.

I prefer the term “parasite”. “Freeloader” is sugarcoated. Makes our call more romantic and pitiful than it actually is.

How do people handle us?
They don’t. We handle them. Only the most naive think otherwise.

Stop empowering them. Say “no”. As I’ve suggested to my dad do to my sister and her boys for a few years now.