Overprotective (Paranoid) Parent?
So I'm an eighteen year old college student who lives seven hours away from my parents. For my entire life I have been responsible: never going to parties or getting drunk, returning home at curfew, getting really good grades, working, and ensuring my responsibilities are done around the house.
Now that I have a boyfriend and I happen to be several miles away from them, they are paranoid that I will do something stupid and get pregnant at a young age. I had stayed overnight at my boyfriend's place once for a totally innocent reason (it was raining heavily that night, and staying at his place to cuddle and watch Netflix sounded reasonable). The morning after, I was bombarded with missed calls from 2 in the morning, "Find My iPhone" alerts, and lengthy text messages from my mother saying how if I had slept over at my boyfriend's place, I would be a disgrace to the family and that she would disown me. Apparently she had awoken my roommates early in the morning as well with her calls to ask where I was.
Surely enough, I got in trouble and she was angry at me for a week. She threatened to cut off all financial support going to my college tuition (as I go to a prestigious university, that would be very detrimental to my wallet.) I would've been fine if she didn't support me financially at all if only she had told me earlier; I would have worked, saved up, and attended community college first if that were the case. But now that I am well integrated into my college community -- working in two labs, writing for the university newspaper, participating in the science honors program -- I would hate to have to lose all of that because my mom can't trust that I can make good decisions even with my boyfriend present.
Now I have to "check in" on this app called Life360 to ensure her of my location every day. On weekends, if I don't check in at my dorm room by 11 at night, she will go ballistic and resume her anger. I try to reason with her, saying that I am responsible and a legal adult who must handle her choices and their consequences as I see fit. I just don't know how to go about it anymore. She won't stop puppeteering my life unless I completely cut ties from her. I love my mother greatly, but it feels almost like a Rapunzel complex here.
I'm so lost. :(
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