Your family is meant to support you while you build your life and chase your dreams, but not everyone is so lucky. Some people’s relationship with their parents is… tense, to say the least. Add a big dose of entitlement, threats, and a distaste for boundaries into the mix, and you get a truly toxic dynamic.
A student asked the AITAH community if they were wrong to refuse to drop out of college just because their unemployed mother demanded that they do so. Instead of wanting them to build a solid foundation for their future, she wanted them to spend their hard-earned money on her bills instead. Keep scrolling to read the full story, and to see what advice the internet gave the young man.
Most parents would be happy to see their children pursue higher education or build the foundations of their future in other ways
Image credits: cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo)
A young college student asked the net for help after their unemployed, entitled mother demanded they drop out and use the cash for her sake
Image credits: sedrik2007 / envato (not the actual photo)
Image credits: user93762
Entitled individuals are often incredibly ungrateful and expect the world to bend over backwards to satisfy their wants and needs
According to the author of the post, their mother’s behavior towards them and their sister is downright toxic. They are threatened, mocked, demeaned, and their boundaries are ignored. And yet, they still contribute to their parents’ groceries and necessities.
But, as the student pointed out, “it’s just never enough,” and their mother keeps asking for more. This time, she demanded that they stop spending money on college courses and instead focus on their mortgage.
It’s probably safe to say that, among other things, the author’s mom is incredibly entitled. Entitled people are self-absorbed, most often don’t show any gratitude, while also expecting and demanding special treatment from the people around them, whether they’re loved ones or strangers.
In a nutshell, they want to benefit and be recognized for things that they didn’t earn. And they expect others to set aside their needs to focus on their own. Entitled individuals usually have very little empathy or regard for how their behavior impacts others, and they believe that the world owes them something.
According to Verywell Mind, entitled people think that they deserve more than they currently have in life. “Regardless of what they have, they always believe that they deserve more. They expect to elevate their lifestyle above that of others without putting in the effort needed to do so.”
In many cases, a strong sense of entitlement is often an indication of a lack of independence and self-sufficiency
Image credits: Linoleum Creative Collective / unsplash (not the actual photo)
Moreover, they expect other people to do things for them because of who they are. Usually, these individuals have huge problems with anyone who disagrees with them or what they’re doing.
On top of that, a sense of entitlement is also often accompanied by melodramatic behavior. For example, the individual is likely to cause a big scene if someone doesn’t give in to their demands.
“They may be very dramatic when something does not go their way. If a friend or family member acts like this, you know it is best to avoid them when this happens. Otherwise, they will try to make themselves look better by bringing you down,” Verywell Mind explains.
One antidote for entitled behavior is striving to become more independent and self-sufficient in life. Furthermore, it’s important to learn to distinguish between your wants and actual needs.
Being kind and generous toward others always helps. And, above all, it’s helpfully humbling to realize that the world does not, in fact, owe you anything.
We’d like your thoughts on this tense and sensitive family drama, Pandas. What advice would you give the student to help him in this situation and to succeed in life? Have you ever had to deal with toxic family dynamics before? How do you protect your boundaries when it comes to entitled relatives? Share your insights and a piece of advice in the comments down below—we’ll keep an eye out for your thoughts.
The young student interacted with some readers in the comments, sharing more details about their life
The majority of internet users thought the author was in the right and rushed to give them some advice
However, some commenters weren’t on the same page. Some folks claimed that, in their view, everyone was a jerk, and urged the kid to pay up
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