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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

18 year old is pushing me to the limit with rudeness

132 replies

Myhouseisnotahotel · 19/08/2024 23:38

I have name changed. My ds1 is 18 and was offered a university place. He has decided to defer his place and take a year out. He spends all day in bed and either games all night until the early hours or goes.out. He has a pair time job. I work different hours so I might be at home during the week and work weekends. Some days I work at home aswell. This week I'm off work. My.husband works nights. When we cook dinner for the family he doesn't come down for it until he decides he will. Yesterday he didn' have any of his dinner dh chucked it in the bin untouched. Today we decided as im off and dh was.stsrting at.430 we'd have.dinner at lunchtime. I called him down for dinner to be ignored over.and over. So I put.it in the fridge. Mr and ds2 went school shoes shopping this afternoon. At 9pm I found ds1 in the kitchen cooking loads of.pasta..I.said what about the dinner in the fridge no he said I don't want that you have it. But it was.nice.i said. Well you said yesterday's dinner was nice but it was disgusting so your opinion doesn't count. Today's dinner got binned aswell. I wouldn't mind but when I don't cook for him he says where's.my dinner why haven't you cooked.for me but obviously that's why!

This is how he has lived.since he's left school apart from doing a couple of shifts a week. He's so rude. His bedroom is strewn with takeaway packages. Even when we went away on holiday he drank all night and slept past lunch every day He came on holidaywith no.money and constantly asking us for money. Atleast if he was going away to university it'll be over soon but now he's not going to do that now.he says. I just feel so stressed thinking that he's going to live like this with no end. Am.i being unreasonable to want things to change?

OP posts:
CosyLemur · 24/08/2024 20:11

Sorry, but this hasn't just happened overnight! You needed to nip this in the bud when he was a lot younger.

020LOLZ · 25/08/2024 16:19

That’s awful 😢

DreamingofManderley · 26/08/2024 03:33

He’s acting this way because you’re allowing him to.
• Stop cooking for him, he’s wasting food and food isn’t cheap these days.
• tell him that if he is taking a year out he has to work more and pay to live with you (whether you save it or use it towards bills is your choice) I paid £50 a week from my first wage at 16 after not going to college.
•Tell him that your home is not a hotel and you want him to help out around the house.

he’s not a young child, at his age he can be doing more.

AgentJohnson · 26/08/2024 03:59

Hand wringing changes nothing and to add insult to injury you are enabling him.

If you have a router that doesn’t allow you to block IP addresses then buy one that does! This will allow you to only block the devices of the entitled child.

Stop paying for his phone, he takes over paying the bill or it will be disconnected.

He pays board.

You have leverage but for some unknown reason, you aren’t using it, instead you are rewarding his behaviour.

OffLiz · 28/08/2024 13:49

Leaving college and thinking about going to Uni without mates is scary. He may be finding it difficult to deal with that. I don’t think the laying down the law thing will help your relationship, but he needs skills like using the washing machine, managing his finances and cooking at Uni.
maybe he doesn’t want the course he signed up for, maybe he doesn’t want to leave home. Telling you to go away and not sitting down to meals together removes any chances for you to talk to him about it.
you could try texting him or writing him notes. Remind him that you live him, but this behaviour is not good for him or the family.

Morningcrows · 28/08/2024 14:11

First of all. You and DH need to present a united front.

say what your expectations are

  1. If he prefers to sort his own food, let him get on with it but he MUST clean up after himself.the must come shopping with you to buy his food. (Even if you pay for it)
  1. He has some chores to complete each week. Bins, hoover, own laundry.
  1. He speaks respectfully to you. You must make sure you model respectful behaviour between the whole family or this will not work.
  1. You tell him that if he does this he will be rewarded with a phone contract and use of wifi. If he chooses not to, you will not be giving him any money, pay for phone and you will change the wifi code.

All privileges will be removed if he can'tmanage this basic courtesy. He needs to learn respect.

AgileMentor · 28/08/2024 16:13

Myhouseisnotahotel · 20/08/2024 00:17

Whe I try to talk to him usually when he's in bed as like today he didn't get up until gone 3pm, he is so rude. Today he just kept saying shutup and go away

You absolutely should not be putting up with this. I’d address the disrespect straight away. He either starts showing some respect for you and the house or he’s out. If he wants to lie in bed all day he can go and rent a room and do as he wishes but whilst he’s under your roof he needs to sort his shit out.

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