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AITAH for giving my mom 45 days notice to move after living rent free for 3 years?
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Those of us who are privileged enough to have great parents actually can't fathom how challenging it is to have parents who think only of themselves. Sure, no one is perfect, and we may be keenly aware of our parents' faults. But it really can't be said enough how much of a blessing it is to have a parent who is not narcissistic and self-centered and, actually, first and foremost, wants the best for their children.
We've all probably had to deal with family members who were troublesome or seriously problematic, and it's one thing when it's a family member, but it's its own special brand of suffering when it is your parents.
There is this sense of obligation, of a requirement of a debt to be paid, that we have with our parents, whether or not they themselves believe that or lead us to feel that way. So, when parents are selfish and self-serving, it can really prey on the psyche of their now-adult children who have lived their entire life being taught that they should be repaying their parents somehow for the very privilege of existing.
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The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
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What makes this especially challenging is how hidden, almost invisible, this constant friction is to those on the outside looking in. Those of us who grew up with supportive and present parents just can't comprehend what it is like to be constantly battling our own parents every step of the way. And that's not with the usual struggle between parent and child, like the demands of dependence versus independence and permanence versus change. No, we're talking about having to actually battle your parents every step of the way over showing you and your own children even the slightest bit of decency. And at some point, you'll find yourself questioning where your responsibility ends and your and your family's own needs for self-preservation begin.
That's where things were within this family, where this son had been allowing his mother to live in his second home rent-free for 3 years. Repeated cuts, slights, and self-serving acts from the mother chipped away at their relationship while she neglected to take care of the place she was living in or even set any money aside to better her own situation. And when other circumstances forced the son to take a good, hard look at his family's needs, he realized it was time to move on, and his mother to do the same.
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