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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

DS hates me almost adult

100 replies

Flojoohno · 28/02/2023 22:14

DS (17) has form for seeing someone new and behaving horribly.
We have different opinions on transgender and he becomes offended when I call his trans-boyfriends girls. We have often debated trans topics and I thought respectfully disagree albeit with a little teasing and eye rolling when I call his friends by their original gender to him (never met them).
Anyway, in my opinion gender isn’t relevant to the events. At the weekend unbeknownst to me DS had a trans-boy (16) stay over, they left the house untidy, DS didn’t sleep at all before a big event (training all year for) and had bites all over his neck for said event in front of an audience of several hundred people, he missed the start of the event because they went together (which wasn’t the plan) and arrived late letting team mates down. Anyway I got home to house strewn with energy drink cans and untidy and smelt funny, maybe vapes but I cannot be certain.
I shouted at DS that he was out of order having someone here without my consent and when I wasn’t home. DS then refused to discuss the matter so I drove to the trans-boys/girls parents home to let them know what happened and that they may or may not have had sex and they may need to check if protection was used. I was calm and polite as were they and that was that. On Monday my DS and the other person were clearly talking about it and DS took it upon himself to apologise to the parents on my behalf and apparent the parents said I was batshit and overprotective and they felt sorry for him. I am so upset that he has apologised on my behalf for nothing.
At night DS hands his phone in as he always has and I infrequently check it, probably not checked it for a year or two but I wanted to know what the full story was and why he had apologised and what the parents had said that for and his messages to that person were nasty like ‘I hate my mum and if I had anywhere else to go I wouldn’t be here’ ‘she’s a bigot’ ‘your dad should have punched her for turning up uninvited’.
To add fuel to the fire I then messaged this person, thinking it was DS, telling them that I didn’t mean it and my mum is lovely actually just a bit protective because she cares etc.
DS has told this person it was me and they’ve clearly both been bitching about me all day. DS who was ok about it when I told him what I’d done this morning and apologised then text me later telling me how I broke the law and his human rights etc.
It’s a mess. He’s due home any minute and should be handing his phone in for the night because he is a screen addict and won’t function of no sleep. For context I tried leaving him with screen in summer and he was sick as a dog from lack of sleep.
His college grades have gone down hill rapidly from A*s to D’s in a matter of months and his finals are three months away.
He’s also gone extreme lazy around the house and won’t be a single thing without being nagged.
I’ve handled this very badly but how do others manage with almost adults?

OP posts:
lailamaria · 28/02/2023 23:52

idc how many chores he does and doesn't do, you deliberately disrespect his friends to his face by misgendering them to wind him up then gets upset that he doesn't respect you, i wouldn't respect anyone that was so rude about my friends

Threee · 01/03/2023 00:02

You need to give your head a wobble and start being more respectful to your teen who is 17 and not 13.

  1. trans issues are clearly a delicate subject with many teens, so best tread carefully or don’t go there at all. In his eyes you’ve intentionally misgendered his friends. You could have simply opted to use the child’s name rather then ‘he’ or ‘she’.

  2. why do you need to approve visiting friends? Why do you need to be present?

  3. He’s opted to arrive late and neck bitten to an event, the twit! Is it possible to chat this through with him and explore how his team might have felt? Kids make mistakes and you can support him to reflect, growing into adulthood.

  4. Sex at 17 is legal. The only person you need to chat to is your son. Remind him about safe sex, buy him condoms if comfortable doing so.

  5. you owe the other parents, your son and the other kid a sincere apology for over reacting and also pretending to be your DS in texts. No wonder they think you’re bat shit.

  6. yes he should be tidying up after himself/friends.

I suggest sitting him down and apologising for all of your behaviour and treating him as a 13 year old. At the same time ask him to make himself a weekly household jobs rota so that he takes on a more mature adult role in the house.

work on your relationship. Find some hobbies you can do together. Rebuild the connection.

lailamaria · 01/03/2023 00:04

@Threee tbh if i was her son i'd point blank refuse to rebuild any connection

Flojoohno · 01/03/2023 00:06

I’m aware it wasn’t my finest hour. I am surprised everyone thinks going to parents house to just let them know why I wasn’t home and to check in on their child was so bad but clearly I got that wrong too.

We are neurodiverse but I don’t see that as relevant nor did I about trans but DS has used it as a stick since.

OP posts:
lailamaria · 01/03/2023 00:09

it doesn't matter if they're trans or not, you don't respect him or his friends, he's an adult in less than 12 months and you're treating him like a child, of course the parents didn't need to know their child was also over 16 and you had no right to butt into his business

MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 01/03/2023 00:10

Oh dear, OP. What a mess.

It was reasonable to be angry about him having a guest over without you knowing about it. It was reasonable to be angry about the mess.

It is incredibly unreasonable for you to drive to his friend's house and make comments on whether they may or may not have had sex. It is incredibly unreasonable for you to snoop into his messages. It is incredibly unreasonable for you to send messages purporting to be from him.

It's also pretty rude to be deliberately provocative about his friend's gender (whatever you may believe privately). It's ridiculous to expect him to "hand his phone in" every night when he is almost an adult.

It would be reasonable to say that you're going to stop giving him lifts/pocket money at this age. He is old enough to get a job/sort himself out. The effort that he puts into his school work is his lookout now.

He is 17. You seem to be treating him more like a naughty 13yo. It is no wonder that he is complaining about you to anyone who will listen. You show him no respect at all, so you can't reasonably expect any respect to be returned. I have a 17yo and can't imagine trying to parent in this way.

Threee · 01/03/2023 00:10

Does he have underlying SEN?

Tell him you’ll give him a lift once his room is tidy/ teeth are brushed. Then don’t transport him until he has done what you’ve asked.

Flojoohno · 01/03/2023 00:11

I’m aware sex is legal but given DS has made a few bad judgements recently I’d rather the parents could check is they needed the morning after pill than procrastinate and have them wonder why I knew and did nothing.

OP posts:
MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 01/03/2023 00:12

Flojoohno · 01/03/2023 00:06

I’m aware it wasn’t my finest hour. I am surprised everyone thinks going to parents house to just let them know why I wasn’t home and to check in on their child was so bad but clearly I got that wrong too.

We are neurodiverse but I don’t see that as relevant nor did I about trans but DS has used it as a stick since.

Going round to their house was batshit. They are 17, not 13!!!

Flojoohno · 01/03/2023 00:13

He has SEN yes but I don’t see that as relevant

OP posts:
MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 01/03/2023 00:17

Flojoohno · 01/03/2023 00:11

I’m aware sex is legal but given DS has made a few bad judgements recently I’d rather the parents could check is they needed the morning after pill than procrastinate and have them wonder why I knew and did nothing.

A 17yo can sort their own morning after pill if needed. Most parents don't micromanage these things at this age... you teach your dc about this stuff properly when they're younger, you make them aware that you'll always be around to offer help and support if they need it, and then you take a step back and allow them to grow up.

saraclara · 01/03/2023 00:18

Flojoohno · 01/03/2023 00:11

I’m aware sex is legal but given DS has made a few bad judgements recently I’d rather the parents could check is they needed the morning after pill than procrastinate and have them wonder why I knew and did nothing.

They're 17!!! You simply don't do that. I'm far from the perfect parent and I've made some words of judgment in my time, but it beggars belief that a) you turned up at the parents' to report this as b) that despite everyone telling you that this was a huge error, you still don't get it.

Yes, complain about the mess they left behind, and worry about his grades. But the rest...? As others have said, you're treating him like a 13 year old. Leave his phone alone, and jeeze, you're the one acting like a child by messaging pretending to be him. There's absolutely no-one involved who will have any respect for you after that.

saraclara · 01/03/2023 00:18

Made some ERRORS of judgement, rather

Flojoohno · 01/03/2023 00:18

We’ve just had a long chat. We discussed the prison trans case in the news today and I apologised for shouting at him and looking at his phone and said I wouldn’t do it again.
I apologised for deliberately calling the trans-boy his girlfriend but also reminded him of how the running joke came about and that it wasn’t meant unkind and never meant to be shared outside.
He has apologised for saying the unkind things and inciting violence and agrees to let me know and check it’s ok if someone is staying over.

OP posts:
yellowtwo · 01/03/2023 00:22

It was a good thing for you to tell the parents that they may need to talk about the morning after pill with their DC, that was a responsible thing for you to do. You shouldn't have sent a message from his phone as if it was him, but you know that.
Are you sure the parents said you are "batshit and over protective" your DS might be just winding you up.

MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 01/03/2023 00:25

yellowtwo · 01/03/2023 00:22

It was a good thing for you to tell the parents that they may need to talk about the morning after pill with their DC, that was a responsible thing for you to do. You shouldn't have sent a message from his phone as if it was him, but you know that.
Are you sure the parents said you are "batshit and over protective" your DS might be just winding you up.

I would certainly think that the OP was batshit if she turned up on my doorstep telling me that my dd might need the morning after pill, and I would very possibly say so to my dd.

Massively overstepping the mark.

Rogue1001MNer · 01/03/2023 00:26

I can't imagine this thread will still be up in the morning!

PressureLikeADripDripDrip · 01/03/2023 00:27

Are…are you TRYING to make him hate you? That’s the only conclusion I can draw from this dumpster fire.

Flojoohno · 01/03/2023 00:28

I’m not going to pull the thread. I wasn’t expecting it to go well. I was brutally honest about how I fucked up and amongst the slating there is some great advice.

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 01/03/2023 00:31

What have I just read?

If you object to people 'bitching' about you - in other words, talking about your atrocious behaviour, no doubt with their lower jaws scraping the floor - then you need to stop making a complete spectacle of yourself.

The parents of the trans boy are completely correct that your behaviour was batshit.

Your son deserves an apology for your attituse toward his sexuality, for your batshit and grossly controlling behaviour toward him, and for what you did woth his phone. The people you disturbed with your visit deserve an apology from you too.

Your son doesn't have to hand over his phone to you for checking. He is 17.

ladydimitrescu · 01/03/2023 00:31

You purposely tease him about his relationships, and think that's an ok joke. You check his phone even though you yourself said he's almost an adult. You went to his partners parents to tell them that two consenting legal teens are having sex. You text someone pretending to be him.
Not your finest hour?! Really?! This is toxic, borderline bullying. I'm genuinely appalled.

ladydimitrescu · 01/03/2023 00:33

You're like a power mad tyrant on a mission to show him who's in control - it really is uncomfortable reading. If you want a relationship with your son you have serious work to do. Starting with a massive, heartfelt apology.

lailamaria · 01/03/2023 00:34

wait the girl op and everyone is referring too is actually a trans boy, honestly it just gets worse how hard is it to respect somebody really

lailamaria · 01/03/2023 00:35

also op you're so controlling you're gonna end up with a son that goes no contact and honestly i hope he does, you showed up to a randomers door and acted quite frankly batshit crazy

MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 01/03/2023 00:41

It's weird. My dd occasionally tells me about some of the batshit things that her friends' parents reportedly do, and I always think no, they're exaggerating, that's only one side of the story and no parent would behave like that. Then I come on MN and realise that some parents really do behave in batshit ways.

Giving you the benefit of the doubt here, OP. I'm wondering if your neurodiversity may be more of a factor here than you think it is? Or maybe your DS's neurodiversity is a significant factor if he is perhaps extremely immature for his age, and you're therefore having to overcompensate?

What you describe definitely isn't "normal" behaviour in most teen/parent dynamics.

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