Regularly manipulating your kids is a dick move, too.

I am the daughter in this situation, well at least I was about 12 years ago. I can say that this is not the full story. My PARENTS (not just my mother) paid for my college tuition, room, board, living costs, etc. I’ll admit that I was a little jerk. I was 18 and spoiled. Life had been nothing but rainbows and…

Thing is: what this mother doesn’t understand is, her daughter would call her if she’d stop making such a big deal out of it. I guarantee it. If she stopped demanding contact, stopped calling and texting to try and get her daughter to pick up, and making actual demands about the frequency of correspondence, then her…

I’m sorry for your loss, but happy for you that you had a great mother.

After reading a lot of these comments this is my take. It seems like parents who struggle to have healthy boundaries with their kids and expect lack of boundaries to continue into adulthood are in for a world of hurt. even if you are programmed that having boundaries is an unkind thing (take it from me), not having…

Heh. My parents tried to force me to pay “room and board” in high school, even though they made it abundantly clear that they’d have me arrested if I attempted to live anywhere else (which was my response, because they’re bad people).

My mother and I had a very complicated relationship. And we were estranged for many years before I had to step back into her life when her health began to fail, and she was untimately diagnosed as terminal.

Some people have good reason to dislike their parents. It isn't a moral failing.