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Adult Dd hates me and right now I don’t like her very much either. Very long, sorry.

220 replies

DDstress · 25/08/2023 17:18

She’s 22yo, just finished uni. Lives at home, lived at home all through uni. Still married to her dad. No other kids.

I really don’t know where it went wrong. We seemed to get on fine, days out, doing stuff, etc till she was about 16yo. Then she got more distant but thought well this happens, she’s out with friends, etc, it’s normal.

she’s always been well behaved and worked hard, done well at school, etc with no pressure from us.

I offered to pay for her to live in halls at uni but she declined, we let her do what she liked and never interfered with her life or gave her any house rules.

If I’m honest she’s been spoilt. Certainly financially. If she wants something she pretty much gets it. 2k laptop for uni (said she needed a high spec), expensive desktop, upgrading stuff on her desktop computer, driving lessons, 6k car. Pay all her insurance, tax, car bills. She has a part time job so didn’t need an allowance while at uni as she got wages plus her student loan.

we paid for her to go on a course to Italy which cost us 3k this summer, it was Paris with a friend the year before that. She said to me yesterday that she wants a new laptop for Xmas.

she had a boyfriend while at uni and they split up at Xmas. Her choice. From what I saw she was vile to him, but she said he was horrible to her beh8nd closed doors. She dumped him, I sympathised. Since then she seems in a foul mood constantly

If anything goes wrong she has a meltdown, rages, shouts at me and rages (dh keeps out the way).

she was dog sitting a few weeks ago and rang me at work saying she needed £80 now as she was booking her speed awareness course and had no money as she’d spent it all on food as was living at this house she was dog sitting at. At no point did she clearly say to me she needed money for food. I transferred the £80, told her I couldn’t buy food for two households but there was plenty of stuff here (5 miles away) she could come and get. She slammed the phone down on me. A few weeks before this I told her she needed to sign on for universal credit but she has refused.

so she went to Italy for three weeks. Came back and said she has sorted out an au pair job and as soon as she can is leaving. She’s having a nightmare sorting out the visa, I have been googling and trying to help and she had a meltdown today.

Said she is doing it “all on my own”. I pointed out I’ve been trying to help and have actually found out how to book the visa appt today and while she was on the phone to me with her encouragement booked the appointment. She is now raging at me for booking at . She then said she hasn’t booked the language course which she needs to do to get a certificate for her visa. I’d given her £500 towards an £800 course a few days ago and yesterday she told me she’d booked it. Turns out that was a lie. She doesn’t want that language school as she’s heard the govt have clocked that it gives out dodgy visa letter (she should be at the school for the whole year but £800 is about 4 weeks of lessons but they will do you a letter saying it’s a year). So she needs to pay 3k for a better language school.

I said I’m not paying 3k for a language school for her. She’s been shouting at me. Saying how much she hates me, that she’s leaving the country because she wants to get away from me. That I’m emotionally abusive. That I was emotionally abusive at Xmas. I asked her to give me one example and she can’t remember. She says we’re a dysfunctional fucked up family and she can’t wait to leave and she’s never coming back. I said fine, if that’s the way you feel then go. She’s screaming that she’s trying but can’t afford to.

She said her whole childhood has been emotionally abusive, that she’s always been unhappy. That I have never supported her. I pointed out all the stuff we’ve done, from paying for tutors, paying for counsellors, helping her write appeal letters when she was nearly kicked out of uni for failing a year, all the financial help. Or she can say is that I give her money so I can throw it back in her face. But I don’t throw it in her face, but I will defend myself trying to give examples of when I think we have supported her.

she was angry because I made a cake this afternoon as she wanted to make one, but she’d just got in after driving a 4 mile round trip to the embassy and not getting seen. So I thought I’d do something nice and that she wanted actual cake, not to be making the cake herself. She’d mentioned about cake yesterday so I was trying to do something nice for her.

my friends say she bullies me. She seems as nice as pie when she wants something, and angry and nasty when she doesn’t get her own way.

she works at the gym I go to and she told staff there that I’d kicked her out after Xmas (she went to live with friends for a few months ) and that her dad had hit her. Which is all lies. I confronted her about that for the first time today and asked her why she lied because it’s embarrassing as I know her colleagues and they asked me about it. She was backtracking and said that her dad did hit her (he smacked her when she was about 6yo and I said no more and he hasn’t). She reckons when she told work that she was referring to that. Which is bullshit. I told her I hadn’t kicked her out and she denied telling work that which I think is also bullshit.

She seems to like being the victim. There’s been minor examples of this with friends, etc where I think she’s said something about them which isn’t true. That they’ve done xyz to her. Im actually beginning to wonder if she has s9me sort of personality disorder. The friends she stayed with im sure she told them I kicked her out. She gets on very well with her (now ex) lecturers at uni and im sure she’s told them this. Her graduation is next week and she hasn’t invited us to it. She wants everyone to feel sorry for her and run round after her.

I to,d her im sad she feels this way but if it’s how she feels then she should go and pointed out I prefer it when she’s not here. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.

she’s stormed off now, im sure to go and tell someone how abusive I am to her and probably try and find somewhere else to move to. She has 24k in a bank account which I’d saved for her as a child for a house deposit. I told her if she needs money for expensive Italian language courses she will have to start using her money. Am I right?

OP posts:
itsgettingweird · 25/08/2023 18:09

If she wants to live and work abroad she can do it.

I did it at 19.

Just wish her luck and let her get on with it.

I'd either give her all or a nominal sum of the money saved and tell her she can sort herself out!

FofB · 25/08/2023 18:09

Not one more penny. No emergency top ups, no paying bills, nothing.

Baggingarea · 25/08/2023 18:11

Probably an unpopular opinion but thought I'd give me two cents as a former spoiled brat myself.

Like your daughter I was given lots of things and money from my parents but was very unhappy. My attitude was very like your daughter's. I always felt giving money came easier than love. That said my parents wouldn't have helped me if I was failing uni like you and your husband did.

It sounds like your daughter has self esteem issues and maybe is feeling a bit controlled. My advice is butt out for a bit. Let her fail and let her cover her own costs. She'll appreciate you more but also will get a confidence boost from mummy and daddy not meddling.

Gowlett · 25/08/2023 18:11

She works at the gym? Does she work out? Gyms are full of performance enhancing drugs. She could be on something…

Nemesias · 25/08/2023 18:11

I wouldn’t give her any more money and would be telling her she’s got a month to leave. You aren’t responsible for her any more and I’m not surprised you don’t want her under your roof any more

gettingcoldinhere · 25/08/2023 18:12

@Lindy2 Is the dramatic story thing more like histrionic behaviour though?

I'm trying to work out if personality disorders are being misdiagnosed as autism and ADHD. Excuse my ignorance and I'm just generally interested.

OP you gave my sympathy. I would also take a step back, but only after you helped get her visa so you can see the back of her. It might be the making of her!

GrumpyPanda · 25/08/2023 18:13

DDstress · 25/08/2023 17:54

Oh absolutely. And I’m torn whether to sit down with her tomorrow or not to go through a checklist of what she needs for her visa appointment or not. I know if i don’t there’s a 99% chance she won’t have everything and it’ll be a wasted and expensive trip to London. And then she might lose her au pair job and right now I just want to see the back of her.

I don't get the set-up. With au pairs, isn't the general rule the host family pays for language courses, plus an allowance? Something sounds dodgy here. Is she planning on getting a student visa instead and do the au pair gig illegally?

Anothershitusername · 25/08/2023 18:14

I left home at 18 ,I went to uni with my student loan ,I never went back home to live ,I never had a penny of my parents since ,nor did I expect it .
life has been stressful,certainly not a bed of roses ,..I didn’t have a fraction of what your daughter has had ,I’m truly shocked at her demands for laptops and holidays and language school …I’m so shocked at how grabby she is ..you sound like caring parents,you sound loving and supportive,you don’t deserve how she is treating you .

Merapi · 25/08/2023 18:14

Tell her that you will not put up with being spoken to like that by another adult in your own house, and she has to leave because you have had enough.

Patchyman1 · 25/08/2023 18:17

Why would she sign on for universal credit if she has 24k in the bank?

LaurieFairyCake · 25/08/2023 18:18

You've done WAY too much for her

£24,000 in a bank account SHE CAN ACCESS ? Shock

You're mad 🤷‍♀️

peachgreen · 25/08/2023 18:20

Hmm. Going against the grain a bit here but there’s an awful lot about the money you’ve given her but not much else. It’s possible to be financially and practically supportive but still emotionally abusive. Hard to know if that’s the case from this post.

Charrington · 25/08/2023 18:20

She sounds a lot like one of my school friends who wasn’t diagnosed with autism until her thirties.

If she is ND she’s probably a good few years emotionally behind her age group - you probably wouldn’t find this stropping as startling from a teenager.

As structure falls away, the wheels come off. It’s not always as overt as this but it is a common experience for many women who managed ok in school.

It’s much harder to deal with at her age because she has autonomy. I’ve no real advice op. It’s a shockingly difficult situation.

NoSquirrels · 25/08/2023 18:22

She’s got £24,000 and she’s 22.

If she wants to go to Italy and it’ll cost her £3,000 then lucky her, she’s got funds!

If she can’t organise her own visa etc then she can’t go.

She also has plenty of money to move out.

suckrifice · 25/08/2023 18:23

Can she sign up for uc if she has 24k in her bank account?

InSpainTheRain · 25/08/2023 18:23

I think I would sit down with you when both you and your husband are there. Tell her in no uncertain terms that she has overstepped many marks and she needs to leave. You don't mind how she does it whether it's the au pair job or something else but no more money, no more room at your place. End of. If she wants to tell people you kicked her out then you're ok with as she's already lied about it anyway. Don't give her another penny. I would be beyond furious if either of my DS (almost same age) said half of that to me.

NoSquirrels · 25/08/2023 18:25

Charrington · 25/08/2023 18:20

She sounds a lot like one of my school friends who wasn’t diagnosed with autism until her thirties.

If she is ND she’s probably a good few years emotionally behind her age group - you probably wouldn’t find this stropping as startling from a teenager.

As structure falls away, the wheels come off. It’s not always as overt as this but it is a common experience for many women who managed ok in school.

It’s much harder to deal with at her age because she has autonomy. I’ve no real advice op. It’s a shockingly difficult situation.

This might very well be true, but it dies t sound as if the OP’s DD is in a place to contemplate getting a diagnosis and would likely be livid if her mother suggested it. Very difficult.

suckrifice · 25/08/2023 18:25

I’d tell her that she lies about you abusing her, you will make sure to tell the gym people and others what she is really like. No more bs.

suckrifice · 25/08/2023 18:26

And sell her computer.

Goldbar · 25/08/2023 18:27

People are right. She needs to move out ASAP. Part of me thinks you should do whatever you can to help her get this job so she's out of your hair. She's in for a rude awakening when she's in charge of young children and has to be the sensible one.

DDstress · 25/08/2023 18:28

GrumpyPanda · 25/08/2023 18:13

I don't get the set-up. With au pairs, isn't the general rule the host family pays for language courses, plus an allowance? Something sounds dodgy here. Is she planning on getting a student visa instead and do the au pair gig illegally?

It’s since brexit. You can’t go to Europe and au pair. But if you are there on a student visa then you can work as an au pair. I don’t know about families paying for it, they’ve said they won’t. It has to be 20 hours a week of language classes to count for the student visa so woukd be loads of money if you actually did it for a year.

OP posts:
xyz111 · 25/08/2023 18:28

Op, you sound like you've been a bit of a push over. When she says these horrible things to you, how do you respond? Sounds like you need to do a bit of tough love. She doesn't get to talk to you if she's living in your house, ND or not. And I would tell your DH everything that has been going on. You need support with her.

DDstress · 25/08/2023 18:29

suckrifice · 25/08/2023 18:23

Can she sign up for uc if she has 24k in her bank account?

Good point, didn’t think about that. Well she needs to start spending that then. Shame because I saved it for her with the intention of it being a house deposit

OP posts:
suckrifice · 25/08/2023 18:29

Goldbar · 25/08/2023 18:27

People are right. She needs to move out ASAP. Part of me thinks you should do whatever you can to help her get this job so she's out of your hair. She's in for a rude awakening when she's in charge of young children and has to be the sensible one.

Yeah, I wouldn’t want her as an au pair.

DomPom47 · 25/08/2023 18:29

She does not like her self/her current situation, may be comparing herself to friends who are doing better…either way your friend is right she is bullying you emotionally and sounds a real nightmare to be living with.
Your husband needs to pull her up on her behaviour like you are - through asking questions when she makes horrible accusations towards you. I would write down everything she has said and done and then ask her to the same for the things that you have supposedly said and done, maybe seeing things in black and white will make her reevaluate her words and actions.
I would not give her the 24k yet. If she wants to do the language course she needs to work for it.
Really sorry you are experiencing this 💐

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