LuckyAlbatross
Posts: 19224
Joined: 10/25/2005 Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: junecleaver I think having conversations with her as an adult would probably be helpful. Not to hijack a thread I started myself, but how did you train her to accept that? Was it through conversation? Drawing boundaries? Etc etc That and more. I will emphasize that TIME is your best friend and worst enemy here. Time is what will give you the skills you need to do this, time will allow your mother to mellow, time will allow you to prove yourself as a mature adult. There’s simply no other way to get there but to get there. You must set your boundaries, but make them about the important things. When my mother made a huge fuss over me wearing panties to a party over a sarong, I tried to talk her down about it, but then just gave up. It wasn’t worth the fight, and once I got to the party, I got naked and had a great time. What would I could as important? Your personal life time- date nights, party nights, being able to go out and stay over for a night wherever you want. Basically, you being in control of your time and place. This doesn’t even mean you need a car. I didn’t have one until I moved to NJ. It means you both need to know that you will go out when you decide to go out and will stay in when you want to stay in. This requires some responsibility on your part- forewarning, checking in and coming home safe are all vital at this stage to prove that you still love them and realize that you owe them a measure of communication. You can also be ok with making a sacrifice every so often to make a special date with your mom to reinforce this as well. This whole process, I found, was establishing yourself as your own person, while also reinforcing that you would still be there for them and needed them in your own life. Try not to lie as much as possible. When I went to NC to be with my owner during vacations, I told my mom where I would be, a number to call, and kept in regular contact with her. I DID lie about who I was with, I DID lie about some of the things we did. It really was what I felt was best at the time, and it did often rip me up inside. Be responsible. If you don’t have a part time job already, get one- ANY job. Since you aren’t living on campus, you need some specific way of showing that you are in the adult world, and earning some form of income. I’d even suggest using that income to pay rent. Do all your own chores and laundry without being asked. You’re establishing yourself as an independent adult while living at home- not an easy thing to do. If you have money left over, buy your own groceries. Try to own your own cellphone. Keep listening to your mother. Even if you know completely at every moment that you won’t do anything she is saying and that she’s only talking out of fear and ignorance- listen to her completely and respond warmly. She really is just scared and needs you to let her know it’s ok and that you are a big girl now. I don’t know really how suspicious or invasive your mother will get. I don’t know how vindictive she may get in her attempts to “protect you.” But you can show her that you’re a responsible person, show her that you still love her and that she’s done a good job with you, and show her that you’re going to decide for yourself what your life will be. There should always be an underlying current that SHE needs to accept YOU. It should be subtle, it should be constant, and never waiver. You accept her rules of the house, she accepts your chosen life for yourself. And for heaven’s sake, don’t apologize for making your choices (though you can apologize for them hurting her feelings), and don’t get defensive.
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Find stable partners, not a stable of partners. "Sometimes my whore logic gets all fuzzy"- Californication
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