Feeling at wits end with my parents

Help/Advice

I (22F) am really at my wits end and have little patience left. I've never had a super close relationship with my parents as others might have, it's been rocky at times but there is a lot of love between us still. Recently, they have been getting angry with me going out, whether its to get quick dinners with friends or to the gym. I don't know what's gotten into them but I am getting tired of it.

For more context, I graduated college (from an average college close by to home because my dad refused to let me go anywhere else), and have been working in tech part time through those four years and finally got a full time job after months of struggle alhamdulillah. I take care of a lot of my things on my own besides rent(I live with family), car insurance and tax, and cooking(my mother is a SAHM so she takes care of most things), and my dad works 6 days a week to provide for us alhamdulillah, we are also south asian.

I work 8 hours a day sitting in front of a screen and it's been around 2/3 months of me working full time, two days out of the week I go to a gym nearby my house for around 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Fridays after work I get drinks(teas) with the same muslim friend I've had for years, I never come home past 10:30 unless I tell them in advance. All of a sudden, this is a problem. I tried to calmly discuss with my father why he is upset at this and these were his reasonings:

- I need to rest after work (wouldn't you think I know how much rest I need, at my young age?)

- I will get an addiction to going out

- I go out everyday, even if i'm not, I do it frequently enough to make it seem like it

- I need to be at home with my mom

- I hurt my moms feelings by not eating her dinner (again, i go out to eat once, rarely twice)

To me, these are not reasonable, especially the addiction one which made me laugh. Then when I tried to explain to him with psychology, islam, time and age, and mental health why I don't want to confine myself at home he pretended to fall asleep, and my mom told me to drop it. He also mentioned how I've never said no to a college event which lowkey felt like a slap in the face because I can count the amount of times I went to an event on one hand my entire four years there, as I was always busy with classes or working to pay my tuition. I was not really allowed to go out in high school. Today, my mother went off on me, calling me names and bringing up how much I go out and how late and I don't care about my parents. My siblings don't agree with them either, and I am honestly very annoyed. Since graduating, it's gotten worse surprisingly and I'm not sure how to speak to them without fighting, and I hate fighting (and I can't do it without crying lol).

It seems like it won't stop unless I get married, and I do have a potential which my parents wan't to hold off because his salary is too low and career path is not set (it only confuses them). I love my parents, and I am not calling them controlling or strict, but right now I feel so restricted. I need advice, please. I don't know how much more or longer I can handle this without exploding.

Posted Nov 1, 2025, 8:00 PM UTC

71
Loading comments…