This might sound really petty (sorry!), but it’s frustrating me a bit, so I’d really appreciate some advice please.
I don’t live with my parents, but come back home every now and again to see them - normally, every couple of months or so. I do like seeing them, and also just coming home and having a bit of a break and a change of scenery from the town where I normally live.
The thing is just that I find it a bit difficult to live with my Mum at times.
When I was growing up, my Mum would often tell me to do things (‘do X’, ‘do Y’). Obviously, these were for my own good (brushing my teeth, practising a musical instrument, for example), but it got to the point where I’d be getting older (ie. a teenager) and she'd still tell me to do these things, even though I was fully aware that I had to do them. (My Mum will also often say similar things to my Dad).
I just put up with it at the time, as it’s not that bad, but now, when I come home to visit, my Mum still says the same things, and I’m finding it quite difficult.
I try to just say things in reply like ‘yes, yes, I will’ or something like ‘it’s okay, I don’t have to always be reminded’ (in a nice way), but she doesn’t stop reminding me.
At that point, I’ll then start to get a bit frustrated, and say something like, ‘I’m (my age), I don’t need to be reminded to do these things all of the time’, to which she’ll then reply, ‘age is just a number.’ I find it really difficult to know how to respond and to keep calm in this sort of situation.
The latest thing (a tiny, tiny thing, which might seem very petty!!) is that I asked my parents if I could cook dinner for them at some point while staying with them. Normally, my Mum (and sometimes my Dad) does the cooking. They said yes, and my Mum asked what I was thinking of cooking. I told her, and she then asked what ingredients I needed. I told her again, and she took them out and then asked how I’d prepare the ingredients. She then started to prepare the ingredients herself without saying anything, which I found a bit frustrating.
How can I assert myself a bit in this situation without hurting anyone’s feelings? I feel like I’m still being treated like a child by my Mum when visiting. I do want to keep on visiting my parents, but I just find this situation a bit challenging.