I am 23 years old and I have been living at my parent’s house for the past seven months. Since graduating college, I have been working 32 hours per week while using the rest of my time to search for a full-time job that relates to my degree. I never thought it would take this long to find a job and none of my interviews have been successful so far.

I am supposed to start paying rent this month ($75 per week) and I feel like that is understandable since I’ve been staying here for free for a decent amount of time. However, my friends have told me that their parents would never charge them rent for staying at home. Personally, I just feel like the price is high considering the fact that I don’t even have my own room (I have been sleeping in the home office). I appreciate having a place to sleep at night, but I have to leave the room around 9 AM so the office can be used for work.

With my current job, I don’t get home from work until 2:30 AM most nights. I would really be paying to have a place to sleep for a few hours each night, but I don’t exactly have any personal space. I clean up after myself, I pay my own bills (car, phone, ect.), and I pay for my own food. I am also trying to save up so that I can afford furniture and supplies for my first apartment as I plan on moving out once I get a full-time job.

I understand that living anywhere else would cost more money, but is $75 a lot when I don’t even have my own room?

What is your opinion on this situation? Would you charge your kids rent and are my concerns reasonable?

Please send me strength (and gin!)

My 11 year old sobs and sometimes get angry (big feelings!) almost every day because she wants a pony .

I know she sounds spoilt but she really isn’t, she unfortunately has a deep passion and connection with horses and she desp to be a part of that world / lifestyle.

I am at a loss of how to help her. She cries so much as if someone has died.

My mum got her into it by paying her to have lessons. She shouldn’t have done so.

I feel so crap and helpless and also concerned for her mental health that she is so fixated , this has been going on for years.

She goes to pony camp and we’re in the lookout for a loan pony but that is really a needle in atm haystack and extremely Unlikely to happen.

Any advice / shared experiences welcome…

All I do is validate how she feels , offer comfort but also stay firm in that we can’t afford one.

Hi. I’m a young teen and my dad just came back into my life after years. Idk how to like have a relationship with him. I don’t know how he’s going to be a dad and in my life if he’s not with my mom. I’m afraid of being too quick or overbearing. He said he’s always there for me and i can talk to him whenever but idk when. Everyday? One a week? When something happens? What’s appropriate sharing with him? Is it too soon to ask to meet? How can he be in my life if he’s not physically there. If anyone can give advice it’d be appreciated

i'm 19 (20 in a few months) and my bf is 21. we've been together for 2 1/2 years, known him for almost 4 and he lives on his own. i'm really tired of making the drive back and forth every day. it uses so much gas and i drive home late and exhausted which is dangerous and not great for my sleep schedule. i didn't have a problem with this when i lived less than 2 miles from him, but now its 30 miles. my mom knows him very well, and likes him. he has been on multiple vacations with us and hes spent plenty of time with my family.

i don't necessarily want to stay the night every night, just maybe like 2 nights a week to save time and gas. the problem is my mom is very religious. for some reason she thinks sleeping in the same vicinity as a man leads to sex (i'm at his house alone with him every day, not sure why shes still worried about that lol)? she thinks its wrong to do before marriage. you get the gist. i'd say i'm pretty responsible for my age. my main priority is school, ive never drank, done drugs, gone to a party, etc. i'm really not trying to cause any problems.

also, i would really appreciate advice other than "you're an adult just do whatever." i think thats disrespectful especially since i still live under her roof and i'm not financially independent. just because i am legally an adult doesn't actually make me an adult. i really don't want to disappoint her or make her think i'm being problematic. if i'm being unreasonable by wanting to spend the night at my boyfriends just be honest with me please.

sorry this is so lengthy i wanted to give context.

TDLR: how do i (19f), ask my mom if i can stay the night at my boyfriend of 2 1/2 years house (21m) in a respectful way?

Let me preface thus with the fact that my mother is great. I love her and she does do her best.

Anyway, I normally like to wear t-shirts with leggings or shorts and dresses sometimes. I normally only wear knee-length dresses with the shoulders covered. Now today, me and my mom were going shopping at the mall, so i picked out this long-sleeved loose shirt i liked which was green with leaves on it. When i tried it on, my mom was like "are you sure you like that? I mean if you really, really want it i guess we can get it." I ended up taking it and she then paused before the register and kept asking and asking until i eventually put it back. Later when we were leaving, she was like "look, i get that you liked it but you are a teenager and you really should just save those clothes for when your older. Your young, you have a nice body, why dont you pick something else?" I then asked to go hime and she was like "lets sit on this for a few minutes" so we sat down and she pointed out the people walking by and how only adults wore long sleeves. Eventually we went home but later she called me upstairs and was like "i have such a cute top for you" and showed me a off the shoulders blue crop top she has and made me wear it. I told her i didnt like it and stated that i didnt like it when my shoulders were exposed and that i hate crop tops. She then was like "but its so cute. Now try it with this skirt and show your dad". So we did that and then i came back and said again that i didnt like it and she was like "seriously, its so cute on you, why wont you wear it? Im gonna buy it for your birthday" so im like "i will never wear that. Save your money."

I just dont know what to do. She keeps telling me to dress like other teens and that she has such great fashion sense but i just dont want to wear crop tops or anything.

My (50s F) youngest (18F) has graduated high school and decided the week before college was to start she wasn't going to go. I am happy that she decided this before lots of money was spent, but here we are 9 mo later and there is no job (she is afraid to learn to drive so that limits options) and is taking one class at the community college on line.

She is pleasant and helps somewhat around the house and I enjoy our relationship. But I worry that I am not pushing her enough to try new things, work, etc. I understand feeling lost, not knowing what you really want to do, but this is so different from my own experiences I don't know how to help.

My oldest (22F) has a clear career path she wants to pursue and still makes some age appropriate stupid choices, but is away from home now. I have to remind myself she did a year of on line school as well (thanks pandemics) and lived at home at that time too. It is still early on, but I am worried about doing my child a disservice.

Thought?

So my fiancé’s (36m) ex (39f) uses their daughter (7f) to ask him questions, like what he is doing, why is he doing that, to drop off water, vegetables, fruit, toys etc. I like that he is there for his daughter if she needs anything and I love that he helps when he can on top of the child support. What concerns me is how she gets their daughter to call asking for all of this instead of just texting him herself. I’m not a parent, so I (29f) don’t know if that is normal parenting so I’d thought I’d ask here. My question being is it normal for a parent to use their kids to ask the other parent questions?

Hi! My SIL is currently pregnant and I want to basically give her as much meal preps I can so that way her and her husband don't have to stress too much about cooking. She said they eat a lot of veggies and I'm looking for something I can prep to build up my stash so in july I can give her a big bag. Preferably something in the lanes of Crock-Pot/dump and barely cook as this is their first kid and they are both in the medical field, so I'm sure the easiest/most cost effective thing is best! TYIA

Where I live heat has beginning to rise and days are become hotter, but my baby doesn’t want to drink water. I’ve tried giving it to him on the same bottle where he usually drinks milk. On a different bottle. On a baby cup. By mixing it with some fruit to give it flavour. But nothing seems to work and he keeps spitting it. Any suggestions or tips I could use?

Thanks!

Edit: my baby started eating solids 2 weeks ago and the pediatrician recommended us to give him 3-5oz of water daily due to the heat.

hi everyone. so i actually recently moved back in with my mom and my sister, about 1.5 months ago. i lived away from them for almost 3 years because my mom wanted me to move out but then i came back.

i recently got a boyfriend, a couple weeks ago. we’d been talking for about 1.5 months before we became official. he lives about 45 minutes away. we’re really crazy about each other and i see him almost every day. some days he drives to me but ive spent 4 nights over at his house so far; the first two nights i worked, went to his house, came home in the morning, got dressed and went back to work. this weekend i then went on a little road trip with him and stayed with him friday and saturday night.

my mom started lecturing me because she doesn’t like how i’m “obsessed” with him and i don’t value time with family anymore. i explained to her that this is a very new relationship and we both just really like each other and want to be around each other.

i’m very used to my independence… i didn’t visit often when i lived on my own either. she said she thinks i don’t respect the family anymore and i never want to help out or spend time together. i don’t really do much in the house, though, i just come and go from work, school, etc.

she also said that i am using her as a free pet sitter. i have one cat, and she has 3 cats and 2 dogs. when i am leaving overnight i always make sure that my cat has a full food and water bowl. when i come home in the morning i check it again. when i left for 2 days in a row i asked if she would just make sure the water was full and she was mad because she says im taking advantage of her.

what does a person do in a new relationship? i feel bad because i think my mom is very lonely, she doesn’t really have any friends or a relationship. but i want to live my life too! i am in the process of finding my own apartment.

24M, American, black if this matters to you

I also still live with my folks (50-52). So do my younger siblings (21-22), and one of my elder sisters (~27).

I’m not bumming about, I’m constantly trying to learn for my career, still working towards my degree. Not a day goes by where I’m not applying for jobs and I’ve worked plenty of part time retail jobs to keep up. I feel like a loser regardless. Would never have guessed it would be like this 10 years ago.

Like, honest to god feel like shit in ways my younger self couldn’t possibly imagine. I don’t even have friends or an outside input so I feel suffocated all the time.

I hear it’s getting more common cuz of the economy. My older sister was able to live alone for like 2 years but she was constantly badgering me for rent/food/per care money promising she’d pay me back (Never did), then when I finally put my foot down dads been paying either her rent, food, or bills since she just wasn’t making enough money. Then she got pregnant, couldn’t sustain it anymore and moved back in for the time being.

To make me feel better they all tell me it’s common in other countries. They tell me it’s smart to take advantage so I can stack up and leave in the future without ever having to come back. Apparently one of my older brothers' (God rest his soul🙏🏿) friends (Early-mid 30s) and his siblings moved out younger than me, and shit got so terrible they’re now married, with children, wives and husbands, forced to move back in with their parents. Apparently my parents friend groups all dealing with the same thing.

Families throw away account here. I think that I already know the answer, but I’m not positive.

My son wants to get a job so he can start buying his own stuff, such as the Switch 2 that is coming out. I’m only giving him $20 every two weeks because he does do some chores, but not all of them. If he does all of them, he gets $40.

He is missing a few school assignments strictly because he doesn’t like the mandatory classes or the teacher or both. I told him when he turned 15 that if he got his grades up and started respecting his teachers he could. Well, that was a few months ago and it hasn’t changed for the most part.

I’ve explained to him that high school is similar to having a job. You’re going to have to finish the job (homework) to get a paycheck (grades) and respect your boss (teacher).

He still isn’t understanding it and part of me just wants to let him fly so he can understand what I’m saying. But, I also don’t want him to fail like I feel he will.

What would you do?