My parents have always been very demanding of me. Whatever I took on, they wanted the best results from me. They went everywhere and begged me to send me to the Olympics or to some competitions, even though I did not need all that extra stress. At one time they were the ones who insisted that I study programming. While others were just beginning to learn it at university, I took two graduate courses.
I entered and studied for free, I managed to find a job in the third year. In theory, I could afford to move to a rented apartment, but my parents would not allow it. They want me to live with them, and they also charge me for “following me around all through high school, teaching me how to make sense. It doesn’t sound like extortion, because it’s like I’m giving them a part of my earnings, but my mom and dad keep hinting at it.
At first I gave because first job, first successes, I wanted to make it nice. And then I noticed that my parents were waiting from my paycheck, wondering when I would get it, how much. And I felt obliged to invest at least in the fact that I lived in an apartment and ate at their expense.
Now things are somewhat different – I buy my own groceries, clean my own room, do my own laundry. I think it’s time to move out, but my parents are already used to getting money from me. They think it’s such a decent payment for my “happy” childhood. If I try to delay the “payment”, my dad starts asking if I’m doing well at work, so somehow I can’t escape.
Can anyone advise me how to delicately convey to my parents that I no longer want to pay them, and do not have to? Or will it be okay to just move away from them and not send anything? I have a suspicion that my parents will be very offended by the second option, but it will be better for me, right? So, moving out is almost the only option to get rid of the monthly fees and the feeling of pressure.
