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Parents of adult children

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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:
Pollyputhekettleon · 25/08/2023 20:10

DDstress · 25/08/2023 19:49

I do really feel I have tried to be there emotionally for her as much as I can. So as a small child loads of cuddles, days put, bed time stories every night, telling her how much I loved her.

as she got older she fell out with her group of friends in year 9 and spent the next three years with no friends at school which was hard. I listened and reassured her. She made friends online with a group of girls her age playing MindCraft and I facilitated her meeting up with them a few times a year at various MineCon festivals and ComicCons.

she moved school for sixth form at her request and was very popular at sixth form with lots of friends. So things looked up then. She has friends now.

I'm sure you have done your best, really. You spoiled her as a way of showing emotional support. But you wrote a very long post and continued it for 6 pages without getting to some extremely important information about her history and mental health. When she said her childhood was unhappy you listed off practical and financial support. And it's not just about you. You've been trying to make up for her useless father and that's not easy, even for someone extremely empathetic. I'm really just saying that there's an awful lot going on here.

I suspect something happened when she was 16 also, by the way. I think she gets herself into dangerous situations because she sounds utterly chaotic. Have you ever asked her about that?

Julimia · 25/08/2023 20:12

Dear lady you start by saying your daughter is 22. You are not responsible for her actions and you are not her punch bag. Ignore her behaviour, refuse to be drawn, i do know its hard initially but the penny will (eventually )drop... honestly.

Jifmicroliquid · 25/08/2023 20:13

Stop enabling her spoilt behaviour. She’s an adult and you are still giving her huge handouts, for which she is totally ungrateful. She sounds vile to be honest.
I have ASD and would never have behaved like that growing up, or been able to, because my parents would not have stood for it.

Im imagining she has been quite spoilt growing up and is now used to clicking her fingers and getting her own way, so if told no, she goes into a rage because she’s not used to not having what she wants.

A few home truths are needed, as well as withdrawing any more financial support.
She is old enough to sort her own life out and you’ve provided a huge savings pot for her, so she’s in a far better position that most people her age!

Pollyputhekettleon · 25/08/2023 20:13

Dryona · 25/08/2023 20:01

Seriously? What the hell has that got to do with anything?!

The answer was that her DH didn't want another. That most certainly does have something to do with everything. He's completely disengaged from family life. He obviously realized after one (to his credit...) that he wasn't cut out for it. The decision to have one child or more than one is a big one, of course it can be relevant.

Wibblywobblylikejelly · 25/08/2023 20:16

I'd have genuinely not been able to contain my laughter over her tantrum about the cake.

You make a cake in your house and she thinks she gets to be mad over that?! I'd tell her where to shove the cake.

How much rent is she paying?
She must be paying after all this.

Cornishclio · 25/08/2023 20:21

I think I would reassure her that emotionally you will be there for her but she is an adult now and needs to take on the practical and financial obligations herself. I certainly would not be buying her high end laptops. She doesn't sound anywhere near ready to get a job or hold one down so that needs to be addressed.

I think it is a reminder that giving kids everything they ask for creates spoilt adults. My daughters were both doing part time jobs while studying from 16 and it helped them appreciate the value of money and developed a good work ethic. If she wants to move abroad then she needs to sort the visa herself unless she is ND and finds organisation skills etc difficult.

Meltdowns due to anxiety can be an indication of ND but I would have thought there would have been earlier indications of this. Being vile to you and her boyfriend does suggest difficulty with emotional regulation and social integration. That isn't an excuse for her behaviour but it could be a reason why she finds it tough to cope with certain life skills.

blacksax · 25/08/2023 20:21

YukoandHiro · 25/08/2023 19:24

Can I ask: why do you only have one child? I feel like the answer may provide some insight here.

Oh yes? How so?

Pollyputhekettleon · 25/08/2023 20:23

blacksax · 25/08/2023 20:21

Oh yes? How so?

I just answered that about two posts up.

felisha54 · 25/08/2023 20:23

@YukoandHiro

Can I ask: why do you only have one child? I feel like the answer may provide some insight here.

What do you think the answer might be? Genuinely curious.

I have one dc (couldn't have anymore) and I don't spoil them even though I could. I make a conscious decision not too as I don't want a spoilt child. Surprise surprise though I know two teens (who have siblings) that are totally spoilt and rule the roost. The reason one of the parents say is- 'we just gave in for an easy life. It was too hard arguing when I had other dc to look after'.

Being an only child doesn't mean you'll be spoilt, in the same way having siblings doesn't mean you'll be the most gracious, empathic, caring snd sharing person.

Pollyputhekettleon · 25/08/2023 20:26

felisha54 · 25/08/2023 20:23

@YukoandHiro

Can I ask: why do you only have one child? I feel like the answer may provide some insight here.

What do you think the answer might be? Genuinely curious.

I have one dc (couldn't have anymore) and I don't spoil them even though I could. I make a conscious decision not too as I don't want a spoilt child. Surprise surprise though I know two teens (who have siblings) that are totally spoilt and rule the roost. The reason one of the parents say is- 'we just gave in for an easy life. It was too hard arguing when I had other dc to look after'.

Being an only child doesn't mean you'll be spoilt, in the same way having siblings doesn't mean you'll be the most gracious, empathic, caring snd sharing person.

The question has already been answered and it was relevant.

PipinwasAuntieMabelsdog · 25/08/2023 20:30

As an autistic person, she is behaving like an absolute twat. ND is not an excuse for bad behaviour, it might explain it, but it does not justify it. My family have been supportive of me, in ways that @DDstress seems to have done for her daughter, although not financially, they supported me in accessing and excelling in education. I love them dearly and am very thankful to them.

LizzieSiddal · 25/08/2023 20:31

@DDstress She said it had helped. Something did actually happen to her in her first year at uni with someone on her course which I don’t feel comfortable divulging even though I’ve name changed. So the counselling was for this, she says the gp said she had ptsd following the event. The GP did talk to her about medication but she refused.

So she has unresolved PTSD?

From NHS website, classic symptoms of PTD are

  • irritability
  • angry outbursts
  • sleeping problems (insomnia)
  • difficulty concentrating

I'm not saying this is the only reason for her behaviour, but it seems to me that it’s essential she gets proper help for this. My DD has a traumatic event happen to her at university, it took her around 3 years of good (and expensive) therapy to be-able to deal with this traumatic event. She needed so much support for me and dh during this time and was 24 by the end of it, it was bloody hard tbh, lots of tears/mood swings/anxiety and depression.

Goign abroad to be an aupair is probably a very bad idea in her present state. I’d sit her down this weekend and try to persuade her to get proper counselling for her PTSD.

nhs.uk

Insomnia

Read about insomnia, including why it might happen and how to treat it.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/insomnia/

JemimaTiggywinkles · 25/08/2023 20:31

OP, have you ever allowed her to fail? Or to solve her own problems? It sounds to me like she is not just financially spoilt, but also that she's been completely coddled. Most parents who do this - constantly stepping in to prevent a problem or to solve it - think they're helping and being kind, but (ime) kids end up with poor self esteem and no resilience.

From your examples (helping her appeal something at uni, driving her round looking for her drunk-driver boyfriend, making the cake because you thought she'd be too tired) all sound really odd to me. By 22 I was dealing with uni myself, I'd be ditching the drunk driver and I'd be seriously pissed off if my mum had taken it upon herself to make a cake I'd specifically said I wanted to make. Because by that age I'd been taught to be independent and trust my own judgement - with parents very much in a back seat role.

If I were you I'd step right back. Tough love time. No more money, no more solving her problems for her. If she ASKS you specifically for help and is polite about it then show her what to do - but don't do it for her.

Serendipitoushedgehog · 25/08/2023 20:33

Do you think it might be worth all going to family therapy together?

I know everyone’s saying that you’ve spoiled her and you need to stop, but sometimes it’s a bit more complicated than that? Maybe you all need to be a bit more self aware about how you are coming across to each other, your expectations etc. And it sounds like you and DH need to put your side of things forward in therapy and for her to hear some hard truths rather than just see herself as a victim.

Darkdiamond · 25/08/2023 20:39

There's no doubt whatsoever that she has been spoiled, but I am picking up some aspects of my own experience as a 22 year old 20 years ago. I also had very turbulent and chaotic episodes of poor mental health. I do feel that aspects of my childhood were dysfunctional and damaging. I told my mother and she was furious with me, listing off all of the ways that she had supported me through the years. It's true that she did her best, but there were definitely silent, gaping wounds that I lived with for a long time. I'm still grappling with aspects of it now. My mother absolutely could not see the areas where her parenting missed the mark, because she really was doing her best. My teens were characterised by clinical depression, a suicide attempt and ongoing anxiety. My behaviour was risky, promiscuous, heavy drinking, smoking, later drug taking. Emotionally I felt absolutely like a ticking time tomb and I felt an indescribable rage with my mother because her personality, while well meaning, meant that my emotional needs just weren't met, as much as she tried or thought she was meeting them.

It sounds like your daughter is angry with you, a deep anger that she doesn't know how to handle. I wonder is the materialism and entitlement her way of compensating herself for what she feels are episode's where her needs weren't met?

I'm a parent and know how hard it is to get right! Nobody is perfect and we all try our best, and it sounds like you really did too. I would still try not to dismiss what she is saying outright.

StillWantingADog · 25/08/2023 20:44

I think I would help with the visa to try and get her on her way but not the £3k (she has £24k!). And have a chat explaining that you want her to have fun in Italy, but that from now on she has to 100% stand up on her own two feet. And that when she gets back from Italy she’ll only be able to stay with you for a limited time. And absolutely mean it.

NorwayLass · 25/08/2023 20:44

She sounds deeply unhappy and still effected by the incident at uni. Maybe she should be looking at medication to stabilise her mood.

Onlinetherapist · 25/08/2023 20:48

OP has it occurred to you that your Daughter is a highly abusive and manipulative young woman?

And I don’t think that’s because you’ve spoiled her. But perhaps the time has come to stop indulging her every whim now that she is an adult. Especially as she doesn’t appreciate any of it.

Do something nice for yourself instead..

Andthereyougo · 25/08/2023 20:48

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.

Your friends are right. She’s a nightmare.
Step away, stop trying to appease her. If you don’t engage she can’t rage at you.

( and I have neither ASD or ADHD yet I wince when I walk into noisy places, I just can’t take noise)

Threenow · 25/08/2023 20:49

As a pp said, she’s a spoiled, overindulged brat. I cannot believe you are letting her get away with this behaviour, she's 22, not 12. I am an only child and my parents didn't indulge me like that, and I wouldn't have expected them to. At her age I had been in full-time employment for six years, not relying on my parents to fund my every whim.

Tell her the free ride is over. She is an adult and it's time she started to behave like one, she can use her own money and stand on her own two feet. I will never understand why parents bring up their children like this.

TiredCatLady · 25/08/2023 20:49

Sorry OP but your daughter is a bitch and a spoiled one at that.

Let her flounce and fall flat on her face. And do not pick up the pieces. She needs to grow the fuck up and I’m sure being treated like shit as an au pair in a foreign country will speed that up.

Acheyknees · 25/08/2023 20:51

From what you have written it seems to me that she's had loads of support from you when she was a child, had everything she ever wanted and every 'hurdle' she encountered eg with friends, was eased and overcome with your help.
She had everything she wanted needed at Uni too. But now she needs to find her way in the world and she's floundering, have her friends all got jobs and moved on?
I suspect she's now facing many 'hurdles'.
She's making mistakes, things are not going her way so she's lashing out. She may feel a bit of a failure compared to her friends so is making up stories. It's hard for her and you helping her with money, Visas etc is making her angry as she knows she she should be more independent at her age. The Italy job sounds like she wants to run away from what she sees as failure?

Aquamarine1029 · 25/08/2023 20:52

Good grief, the way you enable this woman is insane. She has a nice chunk of money in the bank, she can GTFO. I'd be telling her that I am no longer willing to tolerate her absolutely deplorable behaviour and she has until Monday to find a place to live. She needs to grow up.

Oblomov23 · 25/08/2023 20:52

She sounds awful. Why did you pander to her so much before? Even ND or NT has nothing to do with being nasty.

It's not unusual to go through periods of liking your child more, less, hardly at all. But this is more than that.

You are going to have to step up, do some of the parenting basics and say to her : I won't accept this. I understand you are upset but I still expect you to treat me with love and respect.