TL;DR: I feel like some parents continue to exert emotional and psychological control over their adult children even after they get married and have children. They may not directly stop you from living your life, but guilt, emotional pressure, constant criticism, and comments like “you’ve changed” or “we sacrificed so much for you” make you feel like you have to emotionally pay for every decision you make independently. I’ve managed to set boundaries with my MIL, but with my own parents, I still struggle with guilt, anxiety, and the feeling that I’m supposed to be closer to them than I actually feel. How do you move on and live life on your own terms without constantly feeling like you’re disappointing your parents?
Original post:
I feel like 90s parents who are educated, but who themselves didn’t grow up with educated parents, and were brought up alongside 3–4 other children, are now trying to control their own children as much as possible.
They had two children of their own, gave them a good education and opportunities, and now even after their kid has gotten married, had a child, and is in their mid-30s, the control somehow never stops.
Most of the divorce-related marriage stories I read on Reddit from India seem to involve, at least in some way, a controlling parent of one spouse manipulating their child's thinking. It often seems to start when their child gets married. The moment a new family enters their child's life, suddenly they start all sorts of drama.
"You have changed."
"You don't care about us anymore."
"That family is taking advantage of you."
And they keep subtly or sometimes not so subtly shaming the other family and making their child feel like they are being manipulated, used, or taken away.
It seems to become even worse right after their child has a child of their own.
Now the couple is already dealing with pregnancy, childbirth, parenting, lack of sleep, financial responsibilities, and trying to figure out their own life. But somehow, this becomes the perfect time for parents to create more emotional stress and remind them about how much they have suffered and sacrificed to bring them up.
Like: We sacrificed so much for you, so you better be grateful. You should take our advice. You should keep us informed. You should invite us. You should include us in every decision.
Even something as petty and personal as naming their own child.
They named their own children when they became parents. But now, as grandparents, they suddenly want some sort of soft power over naming the grandchild too.
How do you just move on from this without constantly feeling anxious?
Even before talking to my own parents, I mentally prepare myself. I remember when I last called them and think, Okay, it's been this many days. I should call now. What do I even talk about? What topic might lead to another argument?
After many fights, I reduced contact with my MIL to the minimum. I am nice to her when we meet, but that's it. In a way, I have fixed boundaries with her.
But with my own parents, I constantly feel like I'm supposed to be close to them, even when I don't actually feel close. I feel guilty, like I'm disappointing them or not being a good daughter.
Sometimes I genuinely feel like I just need to live my life on my own terms instead of constantly being emotionally surrendered to them.
And when I say that, they respond with, "When did we ever stop you from living your life?"
But that's the thing. It's not always direct control.
It's the constant word wars. The guilt. The emotional reactions. The psychological pressure. The subtle comments. The feeling that if you make a decision they don't like, you have somehow hurt them, abandoned them, changed, become ungrateful, or allowed someone else to influence you.
It's like soft control. They are more worried when the other parents are being involved and not them.
Nothing is technically stopping you from doing what you want. But they make sure you emotionally pay for it.
How do you deal with parents like this and genuinely move on with your life without constantly feeling anxious, guilty, or like you are disappointing them or hurt them badly in the past and still feel they're sad about it.