So my parents are divorced, blahblahblah, I've ranted about them before. I go back and forth between their houses every week, for legal reasons up until May when I turned 18. I've been trying since then to stay at one house as long as possible, but neither sets of parents can actually handle having me around that long.

My stepmom and dad (from now on I will refer to them as Minda, due to a fun name combination) promised me last year that they would pay for half of a car for me if I saved up enough money. I did, and they then said that they would help me with that if I worked a lot this summer. I've put in an availability change twice and my stupid employers haven't done anything, so I was planning on getting a second job. Not only did Minda tell me that this was a pointless plan because no one would hire me, they also told me that my current employers would put me on the schedule if I was actually a good employee and not giving me hours is their way of firing me. In addition to this, they've also been calling me a slacker for every day that I spend not working and getting into full-fledged fights with me if I need to borrow the van I was told I could use.

After a particularly bad fight of this nature (I needed the car so that I could go to my grandma's house to give her the birthday present I bought her) I decided it was time to go back to my mom's house, despite the fact that it doesn't have air conditioning and that I'm not on speaking terms with my stepdad. (That fact means I don't have to combine names, I can just say Mom)

So I make the switch to my mom's today, and my mom was very nice, glad to see me, etc. We hung out at the mall, saw a movie, went to dinner- great night. Then we go to leave and found out that it had rained while we were at the mall and the street we were going on was flooding. She was getting all flustered and I said "calm down, Mom. We'll just turn around and take Monroe St." She absolutely flipped. She was screaming at me that I had no business telling her to calm down, and she wasn't freaking out, she only started freaking out when I opened my mouth. That's the one thing she hates the most, people telling her that she's overreacting and how dare I talk to her like that. This happened three times, at three different streets, one time when I didn't even say anything. Then we pull into a gas station so she can "regroup" and she comes out smiling and laughing like she hadn't just reduced me to tears. In fact, she didn't even notice that I was crying, despite the fact that she was sitting right next to me in the car and then sitting in the same room as me when we got home.

Honestly, in the time I've spent writing all this down, I have calmed down some. I just.... I can't handle it anymore. Like, I've had a lot of problems with my parents in the past and was depressed for over a year, suicidal at one point, largely due to neglect on their part. I'm leaving in less than two months though, so anything I do about all of this crap is essentially pointless now.




(I love the Rant forum.)

sarahj, I'm so sorry. I honestly had no idea. I can't believe they would do that to you. Parents can be incredibly selfish, and that's not fair that they take out all of their issues on you. I'm so sorry. -hugs- Just stay strong and remember life is better than the alternative, no matter how tempting it may seem.

Sarahj, if you don't mind my harsh opinion, because I'm about to vent about your folks.

First, don't ask for their van that much. It is their van, try not to use it that much. That's one way to avoid problems. If there are any errands that you need to run, do it in the short time that you are in possession of their van. But if Minda is calling you all these names because you're off of work, she needs to chill the hell out. Part time jobs let you off of work more days than not. Some weeks are slower than others. If you are working retail or something like that, your hours WILL pick back up. That doesn't have shit to do with you being a slacker. I've had issues with my stepdad trying to start shit with me over things, and I've eventually gotten to the point that now that I'm moved out, I've all but cut him off.

Does your mom have Anger issues, BTW? Some people take a suggestion as innocent as, "Calm Down" as a personal affront. At least you know now just to let her flip out. She might just have some sort of issue where she may have to vent AT people, and it's not that it's your fault - she just might be like that. I just wouldn't give her a reason to vent at me.

Suicide is not going to help you at all. They are the ones being irresponsible. They need to seek some Counseling, not you.

If you're going to be out in 2 months, just roll with the punches. I know it will be difficult, but soon, you will be OUT. 2 months comes so incredibly fast. And when you are out, you do not have to deal with them if you don't want to. Independence is a wonderful thing.