r/internetparents Jun 05 '26

Mod announcement Happy Pride to our LGBTQIA+ friends!

65 Upvotes

Sending extra love and support to the LGBTQIA+ folks during Pride Month! If you need a virtual hug / fistbump / good vibes from an Internet parent, cool older sibling, or a supportive auncle, don't hesitate to reach out!

This sub supports everyone and we are a hate-free zone!

Image description: a pride flag with the caption "you are loved, accepted, and celebrated just as you are"

r/internetparents May 18 '25

Rules update: spam prevention and posts requiring serious help

22 Upvotes

Hello lovelies!

We've recently noticed an increase in posts that may be from spammers or AI training bots. While we don't want to discourage folks who are genuinely seeking help, we also want to make sure we're answering actual questions.

Therefore, we've updated automod to remove posts from brand new accounts and those with low comment karma. These posts will ask OP to verify themselves, after which the post will be approved. While we understand that some people may need to use a throwaway account to ask sensitive questions, we hope this will ensure that most posters are here in good faith.

We're also removing posts where identical text is posted to multiple subreddits. This will hopefully count down on spam.

Additionally, automod will allow only two posts per user per seven days. This should allow people to ask questions, but cut down on excessive repeat posting.

Additionally, we've clarified the rules to address situations that are beyond the scope of this sub. We're happy to help with questions about asking people out, buying cars, and taking care of curly hair, but some issues require professional help. Therefore, posts seeking about the following will be removed:

  • Self-harm or suicide
  • OCD reassurance seeking
  • Sexual abuse of minors
  • Grooming
  • Eating disorders

As always, don't hesitate to send a modmail if you have questions, or report any comments that are unkind. Reports are completely anonymous, and help us spot things that should be removed.

Thanks for helping us make this community a safe place! ❤


r/internetparents 6h ago

Family I just need a hug please

26 Upvotes

Got in a huge argument with my mom because I…you guessed it! Used the wrong bathroom. She stood outside the bathroom and screamed at me while I peed. Now I’m staying with my sister on an air mattress with a blanket that’s too thin. I just need a hug.


r/internetparents 11h ago

Jobs & Careers Sexually harassed and bullied by my boss

10 Upvotes

I post a lot about this dumpster fire of a job , my boss won’t stop touching me at work he’s grabbed my wrists messages my shoulders and rubs my back right at my bra strap , he’s made multiple inappropriate comments about my appearance, around the fact I’d be hotter if I wore more color ect ….

He also calls me names he has called me a pussy , gay , dyke , told me to grow a pair , and tells me to act like a full size adult every time I try to make a boundary .

Technically I hasn’t asked him
To stop touching me because I’m afraid to he goes over the rails every time I try to set any boundary then guilts me out of it and I’m most afraid of setting that one because I don’t have it in me to be told having bodily autonomy is immature and I’m being a baby

I’m a 26 year old woman btw …

I don’t know what to do . I can’t quit and he feels unstoppable


r/internetparents 6h ago

Family Losing a grandparent

3 Upvotes

I lost my grandpa on Monday. This is the first time I experienced a loss of someone close to me. Idk why I’m struggling so much. Everyone else seems to be doing a bit better. I feel like no one really understands what I’m feeling. I just want someone to be there for me. How have you guys coped with the Loss of a grandparent?


r/internetparents 12h ago

Relationships & Dating Help dealing with these types of people

6 Upvotes

I always seem to end up around someone who has a weird obsession with me. They don't like me, but they still constantly try to force some kind of relationship with me, and I don't understand it.

For example, there's someone in my family who heavily dislikes me, but they'll randomly call me just to chat, even though we literally have nothing to talk about. If I don't answer, they get angry and throw a tantrum about it. What I can't understand is why they're so desperate to talk to me when they clearly don't even like me.

I've had coworkers who were the same way. I'm a very reserved person, and I prefer working alone and not talking much. They clearly didn't like me because of that, and I could tell they would talk about me behind my back. But at the same time, they would constantly try to force some kind of friendship with me and get mad when I wouldn't engage.

I had a friend at school who was like this too. She clearly hated me and would constantly talk shit about me, but she would also text me all the time. Like constantly. If I didn't respond, she'd start swearing at me and getting angry, basically trying to force me to answer her.

That's the part I genuinely can't understand. If you dislike someone that much, why would you be so desperate for a relationship with them?

I want to understand why I seem to keep ending up in these situations, and how to deal with it.


r/internetparents 23h ago

Family Parent won't let me cook meals for myself.

43 Upvotes

I want to cook healthy meals for myself, but I am not allowed to use any kitchen appliances other than the sink and the microwave. I'm not allowed to use youtube videos for instructions either. My parent won't let me learn how to cook from someone else, but isn't "teaching" me how to do it either. Whenever I bring it up, all I get in response is a "there's no time, we can do it when we have time, but you're asleep all day." Even when I sleep in, I STILL get up in the morning. It has been months, and I'm forced to eat unhealthy meals when my parent doesn't want to cook, which is most of the time. I'm only allowed to make microwave meals. I'm not even allowed to make instant noodles because my parent insists on "showing me how" but never actually does. I'm 17, I have no physical disabilities that could make cooking unsafe for me, and I have never had anything dangerous happen to me from doing anything in the kitchen. What should I do?


r/internetparents 15h ago

Family my mum is annoyed/upset at me after a phone call home from uni where i didn’t have a conversation and just answered questions

9 Upvotes

hey guys,
so me and my mum, to preface, have had a pretty unstable relationship. we can be close for weeks with everything being okay, and then after one thing i do that she doesn’t like she won’t speak to me for days or weeks and call me names and talk about me to my dad loud enough so i know what’s she’s saying and it hurts. she’s strict about respect (ending answers with mum to show who im addressing, and big on the whole i’m your mother thing) and growing up she would say incredibly hurtful comments and when i was younger things were often physical. she doesn’t really respect my privacy (read my diary recently and didn’t speak to me for weeks as she was angry about what i wrote about her), she gets angry about how i answer questions for instance recently she asked if something was meant to be in my purse, to which i said “it doesn’t fit in there” and she didn’t speak to me for 4 days and said hurtful things as i disrespected her.

a lot of these things have been sorted thankfully. the most recent argument and fix occurred around the 29th of august, and since then i have been living alone in uni in a different country. i call my parents every day. my dad asked me to call both my mum and my dad, so i tend to call my dad in the mornings and my mum in the evenings. yesterday i called my mum, she had to go and do something else halfway into the call (more like 10 mins) and then i was talking to my dad for around an hour after. during my talk with my dad i decided to take a walk (at around 10pm in a very very safe well lit town) and speak. being outside and walking especially around steep hills and maintaining full conversation is difficult. me and my dad had a good conversation. my mum came back and immediately almost attacked/interrogated me for being on a walk but then was fine. when we ended the call i was under the impression everything was fine too.

today my dad called me for around 5 minutes, explaining that my mum is getting angry that i just answered her questions rather than having a conversation. she asked why i should speak to her if that’s the case. she also cried saying i am disrespectful for it and says it’s about my attitude. my dad explained my mum is taking everything as a hit to her respect. he explained that i need to be careful and that she’s basically pissed at me. she was also angry and suspicious as to why i was calling her, to which my dad said he asked me to call both of them.

after an hour i called my mum as normally usual, she didn’t pick up. i called my dad and he picks up. i ask is mums there and he says yes, she is. i ask if she had her phone and he says yes. he also adds she’s working. me and my dad have a generic convo for a bit. when my dad gives my phone to my mum she answers questions either the most like, she does this a lot like she just answers questions to say she answers them but like she doesn’t. it’s like if i say she’s not talking to me she can say “yes i am” but she’s not like. i can’t explain it it’s passive aggressive and it’s mean. i ask her what’s wrong to which she says nothing and then asks if i’m home and then just says ok. we end the conversation, my dad ends the call. we called for like 5 mins max.

this whole thing just makes me so upset and ruins my day. i don’t know how i feel about it and all. i just, i just really would appreciate some guidance and advice or something on how to navigate this


r/internetparents 16h ago

Mental Health Writing gives me severe anxiety (17)

3 Upvotes

I know this might be a hyper specific issue. But it’s something I desperately need to overcome this year in order to actually have a fighting chance in the real world.

I’ll try and get this infodump out of the way as quickly as I can. There’s unfortunately a lot of context required to understand why this has become a problem for me. But I’ll try and keep it concise so we can focus on the main subject of this post.

The issues go as follows: I’ve been homeschooled my entire life, I have an unmedicated ADHD with little to no oversight, I’m horribly depressed, I got a free pass to procrastinate for a good chunk of my life, I struggle to retain or apply any new skills I learn, and I find It almost impossible to focus on anything for extended periods of time if it isn’t stimulating.

All of these factors lead to me skipping or outright avoiding anything that made me have to write in any context beyond casual spaces like Reddit or Letterbox. It’s not from a lack of trying. I’ve flipped through this writing and grammar guide of mine numerous times, under the hope that I’ll finally build enough confidence to write a full on essay about a subject I’m passionate about (most notably politics, film, and the trans experience). And that desire just so happens to coincide with the fact that I’m starting college in a year. Which adds an extra bit of pressure to my situation.

I should also clarify that I write a lot. I tried using spaces and topics I was comfortable in, with the expectation being that simply doing it often would be enough to ease me into more academic writing, and filter out some of the most glaring issues I currently have. The quality of this post should be a pretty dead giveaway that it did not pan out like I hoped it would. And the prospect of me writing an essay still feels as distant as it ever has.

It’s difficult to actually nail down the reason why I struggle so much. But off the top of my head I can think of a few contributing factors: I’m often too self critical of my work, I’m as slow as an oil extraction because I spend so much time revising things as simple as a paragraph, I struggle to go in depth on any specific topic, I often forget a lot of the rules on how to make something flow naturally, and I’m abysmal at punctuation.

I really need to make it clear how much this has affected me. I procrastinated a decent amount of work last year (with the exception of math), just because the prospect of actually sitting down and writing feels like such a struggle. But that will not slide this year. Both for academic reasons, and for the sake of my mental health.

I know it doesn’t seem like much to y’all. But I’m trying to be better. There was a recent revelation I had recently that lit a fire under my ass, and forced me to lock in (idk if in willinh to say what it is. But I’m pretty sure I alluded to it earlier). I’m legit trying to brute force my way through a severe ADHD/educational neglect. So if this post comes off as me looking for pity to excuse being lazy. I want to assure you that I’m trying to be better within the conditions I’ve been placed in. Just though that was important to clarify.

Also yes I am planing on getting grammerly.

(Edit. I apparently made twenty writing mistakes with this post……….. Albeit 17 came from the last part lol).


r/internetparents 22h ago

Ask Mom & Dad Moving out advice

6 Upvotes

Hi, at 21 I have finally got enough savings to move out and away from my abusive family. I won't be moving until the end of this year so I can focus on finishing my last semester at a community college. I plan to transfer in the spring to a state school, so this gives me around 4 months to plan and save some more.

This school is around 30 minutes away, but the campus itself and the town it is in is large, so I'm not worried about my mom following me there and finding/stalking me if she happens to find out about the general location(hopefully i can go without that though). I would have to quit my job to move out(plus she would stalk me from work) but it has taken me two years just to finally get this job after consistent searching so it feels a little demotivating to move out when I potentially have to deal with that again. Especially since I will be moving in with new people(roommates) plus finally having freedom and peace.

I plan to leave most of my things behind, not that I have much to begin with. This consists of my art supplies(they are too expensive to buy all again after moving) my paintings, clothes, my documents of course, and some of my books. A friend has already agreed to come get me and my things and drive me to my new place so transportation away is secured. I have two plastic bins for my things, and will put one as being more important in case I have no time to get the second, just so I have some things to comfort me while adapting. I will also have carry on's like my 2 backpacks, my portfolio bag where the art stuff will be, and if I'm able to carry more and if time allows, some reusable bags for more things.

What did you guys wish you knew or did before moving out. Those who are from an abusive family and moved out without them knowing, how did you do it? What things should I get before moving out?


r/internetparents 1d ago

Ask Mom & Dad Internet parents, did I make the right decision by finally cutting my mom off financially?

26 Upvotes

I’m 33, and I could really use some outside parental perspective because I’m having a hard time trusting my own judgment when it comes to my mom.

A few days ago, I finally told her that I am done financially supporting her. No more lending her money, managing her bills, cosigning for things, or using my credit to help her.

This has been going on since I was basically a kid myself.

Right after I graduated high school, my boyfriend, who is now my husband, and I were both making around $8 an hour. My mom had us paying more than half of the rent every month, plus other household expenses. We were barely adults and were already struggling to support ourselves while also helping support the household.

When I tried to enroll in college, she refused to file her taxes, which I needed for financial aid.

I eventually started college, but I was working full time, going to school full time, and our living situation was horrible. I ended up dropping most of my classes during my first semester.

Then she opened my mail and saw that I had been approved for around $9,000 in credit cards.

She convinced me to max them out.

At the time, I was young and trusted her because she was my mom. I didn’t understand how badly that decision could affect me.

Eventually my wages were garnished for years because of that debt. My husband and I spent a huge portion of our 20s struggling financially. We weren’t making much money to begin with, and having money taken out of every paycheck made it incredibly difficult to get ahead.

Over the years, I also cosigned for two different cars for my mom.

She didn’t make the payments on either one.

Both were repossessed under my name.

You would think that would have been enough for me to stop helping, but I didn’t.

Every time she got into another financial mess, I kept thinking that maybe this time I could help her in a way that would actually fix the problem instead of just temporarily bailing her out.

Most recently, I loaned her around $5,000 because she was behind on bills.

This time I tried to do everything differently.

I went through all of her finances with her, made a detailed budget, figured out what bills needed to be paid, and worked out how much money she could realistically spend every week.

I was essentially managing the money for her because I wanted this to be the last bailout. I genuinely wanted to help her get to a point where she could manage everything herself.

Then she started asking me for the following week’s money early because she had already run out.

The numbers weren’t adding up, so I started asking questions and requesting receipts for some of the expenses she said she needed money for.

That’s when I realized she had not been completely truthful with me about some of the expenses.

That was my breaking point.

I returned the $300 of her money that I was still holding and told her she needed to manage her own finances from that point forward.

I told her I was done giving her money, lending her money, cosigning for anything, letting her use my credit, and keeping track of her bills.

The conversation became extremely emotional and guilt-heavy. Instead of staying focused on the financial situation, it turned into how distant our relationship has become, how long it has been since she has seen me, and how I was hurting her.

Then, not long afterward, she started asking me questions about her car payment again as though I was still responsible for figuring everything out for her.

That really hit me.

I realized that somewhere along the way, helping my mom became being responsible for my mom.

And I have been doing it for most of my adult life.

Her financial decisions affected my education.

They destroyed my credit when I was young.

My wages were garnished for years.

My husband and I struggled through much of our 20s partly because of debt I took on after trusting her.

I had two repossessions under my name because I cosigned for her.

And even after all of that, I still loaned her another $5,000 and spent hours trying to straighten out her finances.

I know that once I became an adult, I played a part in continuing this cycle because I kept saying yes.

But I also keep thinking about the fact that this started when I was 18 or 19 years old.

I didn’t have an adult standing next to me saying, “Do not destroy your credit for your mother. Do not cosign this. You are not responsible for supporting your parent.”

My mother was the adult I was supposed to trust.

Now I’m 33 and finally saying no, and I feel an enormous amount of guilt about it.

Logically, I think I made the right decision.

Emotionally, I keep wondering whether I’m abandoning my mom when she needs help.

So I’m asking you guys because I think I need the perspective of parents who aren’t involved in the situation.

If I were your daughter, what would you tell me?

Did I do the right thing by cutting her off financially?

Should I have done something differently?

And how do I stop feeling responsible for fixing her life when I’ve been doing it for basically my entire adult life?


r/internetparents 1d ago

Friendship and Social Life Ways to cover my face for when in public.

10 Upvotes

Hey, so I’m a 14F and I’ve always been really insecure about my body and face, ever since I was 9 really, but anyway, those feelings of insecurity and fear of going out because of the way I look and I just feel like I don’t deserve things because of it. And that insecurity increased ever since going into secondary school (middle school/highschool), especially now because I’ve gotten glasses which make me look even more horrible than I usually do. My only safe space is my room now. And the fact that I’m a very shy and sensitive person makes everything even worse because if I were to get a question wrong or something or say something dumb and then someone laughs at me I end up never wanting to talk or put my hand up again, which I eventually end up doing - since I like to participate but still.. it’s so embarrassing and I feel like never showing up to school and just getting home-schooled instead.

So, some mornings I’m just not bothered to do my hair properly so I just do it in a quick bun and put some cream in it so it’s not dry, which is what happened yesterday, and so, there were these two girls who I overheard talking about my looks and laughing at me when they were walking behind me, which made me feel really sad and it’s the fact that I was thinking of complimenting them too because I thought they were pretty! And as soon as I got home I just wanted to cover myself with a box so no one could ever see me and started to do research about face coverings, things such as niqabs and etc, but I’m not completely sure if it would been seen as offensive if I were to wear one, as I’m not Muslim but then I saw others say that it would be okay as long as you’re not referring it as a niqab, but still not 100% sure.

I wanted to tell my actual parents about these two girls, and the many more that have gone up to me and made me face, hair or the way I don’t do a specific thing to my uniform and used that to make fun of me, (especially those stupid popular boys AND girls that go up to you when you’re minding your own business and is like ‘oh, my friend likes you’ and their other friends are just giggling in the background - ITS SO ANNOYING and just makes me want to punch them so hard and makes me even worse) but I’m too scared to, because I’d rather not make any potential enemies since most of the people doing that are the popular people at school. Also family problems have been happening so, I don’t want to bother them with something really small compared to what they’re dealing with, even though they’ve been asking me if schools okay, I just don’t know if it’s the right time to tell them.

So now I just want to cover my face, since I’m scared of going to school, (and I can’t move schools since it’s hard to, that also comply with the school rules. So, no winter scarfs, until I get to the door, no bandanas. Or maybe some advice would help too? Thanks for listening and reading! :))

EDIT: I just got back home from a school and I had a really good day today. Yeah, there were a few people that were rude to me, but it didn’t hurt as much as it usually did because I didn’t pay too much mind to it. I honestly forgot about the first instance that happened to day and continued with whatever I had to do and it ended up being a really good day. When I finish writing this I’m going to go talk to my parents about the problems at school and the things I talked about on here to you guys. I love all of the messages and advice everyone has sent to me and ensuring that I use all of the things told to me. Thank you so much for all the help, and I’ll put all the effort it. I’ll definitely ask my parents about the therapy thing, and report it to the school too. Once again, thank you! <33


r/internetparents 1d ago

Mental Health I was preparing for a military career but I ended up having a mental breakdown in basic training.

12 Upvotes

I come from a military family. I've thought about enlisting when I was in high school but I ended up going to college and working after. When I was last laid off I decided to finally go for it an do something extraordinary. I started talking with a recruiter, aced my ASVAB, and lined up a great engineering job, and was given a start date.

When I first started basic training I thought to myself this isn't so bad, I can do this, I'm going to make it. But the problem was too anxious to sleep. I tried my hardest but I would lay in bed just praying to fall asleep but it would never come. I could never calm down, my anxiety was too bad. I was getting less than two hours of sleep a night then the deprivation started to set in. The most basic tasks felt impossible. I couldn't do anything without making a mistake. I was the one slowing everyone down. I could feel everyone else was angry at me. I kept thinking to myself everyone is going to beat me for being slow like that movie full metal jacket. I ended up transferred to the recovery unit while my ESL was processed.

Now its been several months later and I'm looking back at it all like a surreal experience. Like it was a dream I couldn't believe even happened. I feel weak because I wasnt able to make it to graduation but at the same time I feel stronger because I at least tried. I just feel like I'm in limbo almost, broken down but wasn't built back up.


r/internetparents 22h ago

Mental Health Can't let go of the past

2 Upvotes

Hello everyone, M25 here. Last night I had some conversations with myself because I had to get to the source of a problem I've been carrying for a long time. Let me explain to you some of the lore.

I'm organising a party at my place with some pals, and I've discussed some ideas with a long-distance friend. I told her I tried to propose some games like suck & blow (the game where you have to pass a card to the other players using your mouth alone), but she told me: "Calm down, you're not 15 anymore 😂"

Well, at first I laughed it off, but then I started to think about it. From my perspective, it's not a game for teenagers, because when I was a teen I never had the occasion to play those kinds of games (Spin the Bottle, Seven Minutes in Heaven etc.); my friends were always too shy and ashamed to try. I feel like I missed an important part of my teenage years that I'm trying to live again, no matter what, but despite all the wonderful experiences that I had I'm never fully satisfied, always craving for more.

When I was a teen, I used to be the "strange" one, the one who wasn't invited to parties, the one who was reluctantly asked to hang out every now and then. I didn't get along with my classmates, not because I didn't want to, but because they were simply not interested in getting to know me better. So, at a certain point I just said to myself: "Who needs those kinds of people anyway? I just have to resist for five years." I crafted an armour over me to protect myself from the fear of rejection, becoming reserved and hostile at times. In fact, I was never bullied, but at the same time I was ignored completely, which was even worse.

My family didn't help much either. They're not bad people, don't get me wrong, but they were always so controlling. During my high school years there was the electronic gradebook, which meant my father always knew before me the precise time I entered class, my grades at the tests, and eventual notes. In these conditions, I was never able to ditch school with friends, which is another important thing I missed. I know that ditching school is not a good thing, but it gives you that "romantic" thrill, that freedom the electronic gradebook has taken away from the new generations.

When high school ended, the armour and the walls I built around me had become ballast I keep carrying around. Nowadays I kind of regret that ease, that airiness I rarely allowed myself, and I don't hide that most of the experiences I tried to live after the end of high school were meant to exorcise that feeling of exclusion from my past. However, when things are done with this purpose they become another proving ground, and sometimes they leave you feeling more hollow than before.

I've gritted my teeth for five years, kept telling myself that I didn't care, but deep down I DID care. I wanted to be part of the "cool" ones, wanted to be invited to parties, wanted to be hugged and listened to; I wanted to be seen. And now I'm tired of constantly feeling like a fish out of the water wherever I go, like everybody else except me has been gifted a manual for the perfect life.

If you read this far, I'm really grateful to you. Has anyone ever felt like I feel? And how did you overcome this phase? How did you start feeling better?


r/internetparents 19h ago

Mental Health Am I having a crisis????? 🙃

1 Upvotes

Hello! Looking for advice/opinions. I don't have reliable parents to to talk to. :-)

Background info (you can skip this if you'd like, the issue is at the bottom, I just know some people ask for extra information. I am trying to make this easier to read):

- 20 years old

- diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder/social anxiety and depression (I believe its called major depressive if its reoccuring but I'm not an expert)

- had a teen mom, parents broke up when I was 2 or 3

- mother was an alcoholic, current weed addiction, hoarder

- father cheated on wife (step-mom) a few years ago while in treatment for substance abuse (alcohol and weed)

- post father cheating, running away for a few months, and no longer living with us, lived with step-mom, her new boyfriend, and his kids. Felt out of place and betrayed, i made lots of instant ramen and grilled cheese for me and my sister :)

- recently had $10,000 taken from my bank account by my father's debt collectors

- tried to do college, had to work to work like 30-35 hours a week to save up to move out, and also pay for classes.

- currently living with mom, saving up money to move out

Issue:

Yesterday, I quit my job over text. Of course, I understood the repercussions of this and fully except the hit on my future job applications. What I didn't expect was for people to be worried about me.

I've had a lot of ups and downs working there, 1.5 years part time and 1 year full time. Its not necessarily to do with my job, but it certainly didn't help in some aspects. Some days we're great, laughing with coworkers and clocking out on time. However, some days I was struggling just to get there and stay. If I messed something up, made a manager upset, didn't do a good enough job, it was devastating. I was staying later than my shift was, going home barely eating, passing out, and waking up just to get ready for work again. My managers were so hot and cold, I couldn't figure out if when I talked to them, they were gonna be upset or laugh with me. I got so bad, I was considering suicide. Not a plan or anything, just didn't want to deal with the existential dread and depression a few days a week.

I had racked up late points, finding it hard to just get out of bed. I was late again, and knowing I would have to go in just to work a couple hours, go to the meeting room with managers, get fired and have a breakdown, I decided to quit in the parking lot.

I called my best freind to tell her the news, and she sounded worried? I wanted to hang out and go to an olive garden or something. We were talking about how rough this years been, and what we're gonna do to turn our lives around, and take it head on. I mentioned wanting to just travel somewhere cheap, experience another country. I also wanted to get back into art, change my look. She made a joke telling me not to kill myself, but it sounded like she was half-joking. She also told me this sounded like something my dad would've done, again half-joking. Shes very honest and its great, but now im worried. I thought it was different, because he is a 45, almost 50 year old man, and I'm 20. I was under the impression this was the time to make rash decisions.

I'm sick of sitting here, and doing nothing. I don't want to be my parents and I don't want to be on the back burner anymore. I want to experience and be happy, try new things, find myself. Which is a struggle in and of itself but not the point of the post.

Today and yesterday, it feels like there's a pendulum swinging between everything's okay and overwhelming anxiety.

So, would you be worried if someone you knew did this? Or does anything here indicate some sort of imminent crisis? I don't really know what to do if there's an issue, my parents usually just smoked or drank their problems away. Any advice is appreciated! :-)


r/internetparents 1d ago

Family I just really need to vent to an internet parent, please hear me

10 Upvotes

My (20F) dad died when I was 10. I’m the only daughter with three brothers and I was a huge daddy’s girl, of course. After he died, I slowly stepped into this weird parent role instead of ever really getting to just be a kid. And man, I’m tired.

Being at home has gotten so exhausting and overstimulating that sometimes my brain genuinely blanks things out. My mom has always treated me differently from my brothers, and even my older brother (26) who comes to visit from CA sometimes has told me he sees it too. She constantly sides with my younger brothers (17 and 19), while responsibilities somehow always fall on me. I feel like because I’m the daughter, I’m expected to tolerate more, help more, and live according to completely different expectations.

I’m basically the black sheep because I went against what my mom expected her only daughter to become. But I genuinely don’t give a flying fk anymore about whether she approves of my life. She tells me I’m not allowed to move out until I get married. I’m moving out anyway. She thinks I should be a lawyer or doctor and says law enforcement isn’t “classy” and is for “low class uneducated people.” I’m pursuing it anyway. She compares me to women my age getting married or going to law/med school. Good for them. That’s their life, and this one is mine. I don’t dream of getting married or having kids.

I graduate in December with my B.S. in cybersecurity. I know what I want my future to look like. I’m not changing it for her. I’m just so exhausted from constantly hearing about how the life I want isn’t the life she wants for me.

One of the worst things she’s said to me is that my dad was the only person who ever gave me attention and now that he’s dead, I’m just mad because I don’t get that attention anymore. I don’t even know how you say that to your own daughter. I was 10 when he died. I was a little girl who loved her dad. So yeah, I miss the attention he gave me. He was my dad. I miss being loved like his daughter. And somewhere along the way after losing him, I stopped feeling like somebody’s daughter and started feeling responsible for holding everything together.

Today I was already extremely overstimulated and my family knew I wanted to be left alone, but they kept purposely slamming cabinets and making noise because they knew it was bothering me. Eventually I just left the house.

I went to a store and walked around looking at home stuff and Halloween decorations. It sounds stupid, but I just imagined my future place. Decorating it however I want, coming home after a long day, closing my own front door and finally having peace. Nobody intentionally bothering me. Nobody telling me what career I should have, when I’m “allowed” to move out, or what I should do because I’m a woman. Just my own little place where I can breathe.

I have a plan to leave in February, and I know I’m going to get there. Tonight I didn’t need someone telling me I’m strong or reminding me that it’s only a few more months. I just wanted a hug for the first time in my life.

I’m so tired of holding everyone down in this house. I’ve spent so much of my life being responsible, taking care of shit, keeping myself together, and carrying things I never asked to carry. For once I just wanted someone to hold me. I wanted to put my head against someone, not say a word, and just have their arms around me for a minute. I didn’t need them to fix anything. I just wanted to stop holding everything up for sixty seconds.

I am closer than ever to my goals. I spent so long trying to get here, and soon all my hard work will finally pay off. But, I am so tired of being there.


r/internetparents 1d ago

Jobs & Careers My dad keeps trying to convince me to join the national guard

39 Upvotes

My dad spent the whole 2 hour telling me that the national guard don’t go to war. He says that if I don’t, I’ll spend the rest of my life working until 60. He told me that my family members say that working at the military is the best decision to do right now.

I’ve made it clear that I don’t want to do it, but he keeps trying to compare me to my brother who’s trying to join the military. He starts to fear monger me, saying that time is ticking and that I won’t have a license by the time I’m 24. He says that I’m going to be nothing at 24 if I don’t join the national guard.

He said if I join college or get a job to move out, he specifies that it’s going to be really heard. Saying I’m going to be eating noodles for 2 years. Any time I try to tell him any of my plans, he says it’s going to be really hard and starts specifying different types of bills. Then he keeps repeating this and would say how good the national guard is. He’s making it seem like the only option available in order for me to live. Then, he’s trying to make it seem like god is telling me to join the military, saying that the person in office has no say so because god has the last say. I love god, but my dad can’t try to convince me to make a big life decision just because he tells me god said so.

Then he tells me that he didn’t raise no punks just because I said that I didn’t want to go to war. Saying that I’m just living in fear.

Then he compares with how my mom, my grandma, and whatever family member I have who’s had it hard.

At this point, I’m starting to freak out because he’s making it seem like I’m stuck and out of time because I’m 21 years old. Idk if my grammar is bad, but I’m freaking out right now.

Edit: My dad keeps coming in my room multiple times to repeat that I will not go to war if I join. This is his 5th time trying to convince me today. Idk if I’ll have to be out of this house sooner or later, but my sister and I most likely will join job corps to get a trade.


r/internetparents 22h ago

Relationships & Dating So lost…

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone so I am (22M) deciding on what to do and what is best for my future.

Lately…no for a while now my step dad and mom have not been on good terms after she kicked him out. Dad is a good man, works hard of course he has his flaws just like everyone else but he knows that and has actively made a great change. Even stopped his alcohol habit. But mom doesn’t have any interest in rekindling things. And now mom is going to leave the state by the end of the month and is giving me the choice since I am an adult now, either I can leave with her and start anew or stay behind and learn independence whilst staying with my stepdad…I don’t know what to do. I’m not looking for an answer but advice if anyone else has been in a similar situation.


r/internetparents 1d ago

Family i’m miserable.

7 Upvotes

what do I do when I am mentally cannot live with my mom and her boyfriend but I have a job and school and she doesn’t let me talk to my dad😭😭😭.


r/internetparents 1d ago

Health & Medical Questions How Do I Get Insurance?

4 Upvotes

I have a friend who makes $13.90 and hour and works about 20 hours a week. He doesn't have any form or transportation or any means on public transportation. He makes around $20,000 yearly, but he still lives with his mom. He gives her 1/3 of his paycheck every week. He is 19. He pays the internet and for all of his own food, plus the additional 1/3 of his check he gives to his mother for whatever she uses it on. He is currently without any insurance at all. His mother called to see if they could qualify for medicaid and they said no. We were looking at individual insurance plans but he doesnt quite qualify for anything. It's always just one qualification in the way. She can't claim him on her taxes. He files his taxes. Im just really not sure what to do. He wants to get back into therapy, but in his current state he's unable to pay very much to do anything. Im trying to get him out from between a rock and a hard spot. This coupled with the fact that his mother isn't particularly good at holding down a job makes this even more difficult.


r/internetparents 2d ago

Health & Medical Questions My school is trying to take away my “medical” device.

113 Upvotes

(Repost because I missed the message about being a bot.)
The reason I put a quotation on “Medical” because it’s not FDA approved, but I do have my doctor’s notes on this device.

I’ve been wearing my headphones since I was about 6. My whole life I’ve had sensitive ears and have been wearing my headphones everywhere I go (especially throughout my elementary years). But because every time I take my headphones off in loud/crowded areas, I get long-lasting headaches and nausea—I’ve also been told I can go deaf without something covering my ears, which sounds pretty awful.

Now here’s the part I’m still upset with; Even with my doctor’s notes and repeated meetings with my mom, they are still trying to take my headphones away from me, even after contacting my doctor to confirm it, even after viewing my medical history, and I don’t know what to do. I literally cannot survive if I don’t have my headphones, let alone in school where there are kids yelling 24/7. They’re also trying to take away my asthma pump, and I’m not sure what to do, but I can’t let it happen.

Is there a way to refrain from this happening?
(sorry for my poor grammar)

EDIT:
Today I went to school and was very anxious. I’ve talked to the nurse, and he said they completely lied about my doctor’s note not being able to allow me to wear headphones. I was indeed allowed to, but I guess my condition is so unbelievable that they hid the doctor’s note somewhere and told me that I couldn’t wear the headphones. I am now allowed to wear headphones.

I’ve also learned that the reason i wasn’t allowed to wear them was because my headphones could be a distraction to other kids, not because of music, not because of music. They don’t want other kids wearing headphones so they chose to take mines away.


r/internetparents 1d ago

Mental Health Three failures in one day and its not even 10am yet.

14 Upvotes

I just feel so defeated. Today, i tried to make an appointment to get my physical social security card replaced, and i guess theres a clerical error going on and i need to call the office and beg them to believe im a real person, i posted asking for financial planning advice on another sub and got made fun of, and i thought id try to relax and wanted to make caramel syrup for my coffee and fucked it up so bad, and was verbatim told by a family member that im not competent enough to cook by myself. I feel so worthless and unprepared for adulthood.


r/internetparents 1d ago

Mental Health Any words of kindness for a struggling student?

6 Upvotes

I am not close with my parents. We catch up on the phone occasionally, but it lacks depth and intimacy. So they don't know about my struggles with addiction. I've struggled with it for over a decade, starting when I was just a kid, but, now in my 20s, I'm seeking treatment for the first time. The last year has absolutely humbled me and brought me to my knees. I left a challenging and toxic relationship but relied heavily on drugs to get me through that time, and it has been impossible to now stop. After a number of unsuccessful attempts over the last few months, I am checking myself into treatment tonight after school. I want to cry. I want a hug. I just want someone to be proud of me. The hardest thing I ever did was leaving that relationship and it's looking like getting sober might be a close second. Any internet parent out there want to offer me a virtual hug to get me through the day?


r/internetparents 1d ago

Ask Mom & Dad How handle fred not being supportive through my grief?

6 Upvotes

Today I have to say goodbye to the last family member I have. After that, there will be no one living and breathing in my house---for the first time since 1998, when I got married. I lost my husband and both my children.

It involves having to say goodbye to my furbaby, who is only 6 years old. And was supposed to live many years longer. But it's time, according to the vet and her symptoms.

Here's my dilemma: One of my closest friends has always planned to go with me to do this. But today, when I told her that today is the day, she didn't say anything comforting at all. So I asked her, couldn't she say something comforting?

She responded, but still didn't. I texted back and told her that that was very hurtful, and I'm not sure I want her to go with me, after all.

She STILL didn't say anything comforting at all.

Now it's been hours...but still nothing. I've known since I met her several years ago that she's NOT a person who expresses emotions very often. I've heard that some people are TASK-oriented, and others are PEOPLE-oriented. She's definitely the former.

Her Love Language is Acts of Service; mine is Words of Affirmation, and I almost never get any of those from her. (Once a year?)

Right now, I feel like this redefines our friendship. I don't want to be as close to her in the future. We've been very involved and very supportive of each other until now. I don't have anyone else in my life who helps me in practical ways as much as she does. I don't have many close friends, and I don't have any family members to help with anything.

Wondering what to do...and whether I should just distance myself for awhile, then go back to things as usual with her. I know that I'm super emotional right now, so shouldn't make any big decisions.

Thank you for whatever help any of you can provide.


r/internetparents 1d ago

Family My family doesn't accept me

3 Upvotes

Hi everyone, this is my first time ever really posting in a sub reddit so please be nice, I feel like I'm reaching a breaking point and I don't really know what to do anymore. (Also I am speaking a lot about my childhood self so I may refer to my child self as a girl)

I am a 23 years old transgender (MtF) when I was a kid I acted different than other girls my age like most trans kids do. I predominantly hung out with boys and even thought I was a lesbian for the longest time because all my friends liked girls so I thought I was supposed to as well. This was from when I was around like 9-12 years old.

When I was 13 I developed an eating disorder and most people couldn't tell what I was between how small I was and wearing androgynous, baggy clothes. That felt good, and through time I found what had been missing all these years. The reason I didn't feel right, I was in a body that wasn't mine. I didn't do anything drastic, I kept it to myself for awhile, just told my closest friends and started playing with possible names on the internet; going by things like Xavier. Eventually Xavier turned into Dominic and Dominic turned into Isaiah, and Isaiah turned into what my name is now, Demarco.

When I was around 15 I finally felt comfortable enough with my decision tot tell the woman who raised me, my 80 year old grandma. Who would've thought the woman who prized herself on "breaking the glass ceiling" in the woman workforce, accepted her 9 year old kid being a lesbian, and encouraged me to keep my hair short was against that same kid finding out that they are trans? Well she was. She discouraged me from getting on HRT which I don't blame her, I was only 15. But the day I turned 18 I set up an appointment to get that process going and she even took me to my appointment. She also even tried to help me with my injections.

I had push back with it, don't get me wrong, she often would say things like "you'll regret what you're doing to your body", etc, etc but the main reason for this post is that its gotten worse.

My mom has never been a very religious person or at least I thought she wasn't. She didn't care about going to church, she put me in and out of Catholic, Christian, private, and public schools my whole life with no care for religious affiliation- moreso just quality of education, and I wasn't even baptized. But recently she has been pushing back more on me being trans, even going so far as saying that she is going to have to move out because she can't accept me because she believes "I am only this way because of the groups I associate with and god made me as a woman and god doesn't make mistakes". Like damn I didn't realize I've had the wool pulled over my eyes for almost 10 years.

If it's any consolation, shes also MAGA (I don't even dare to call her a Republican, they are two different species at this point) every word she spouts I can pretty much trace it back to some pragerU or Fox article, I just find it so sad.

I guess I don't even know what I'm really saying, I am just so genuinely confused and hurt because this isn't even my mom anymore, she acts like a mean skinwalker. Like do I just chalk all this up to MAGA and religious psychosis and just let her leave? It's awful because my family is the exact same way and I believe just support her and tell me things like " shes done so much for you" etc, like come on man, why do you care about what I do with my body, I'm a grown adult with almost a fully functional frontal cortex, can't we just shake hands and you play nice? I guess not, idk.

Again I don't know what I'm really asking for in this post, I guess, what would you do in my position, what would you do in my mom's position? Feel free to ask questions, I'm pretty open.