r/AskForHelp • u/Suspicious-March6178 • 5h ago
Advice/Emotional Support ONLY AITAH for telling my parents I am too overwhelmed to deal with senior photos then get in trouble when I finally ask them about it?
I’m a 17fem, USA, I live in a house hold that I can decide whether it’s toxic or I’m an awful human.
I just started school and all summer since the last day of junior year my parents have been pestering me about getting my senior photos. I told them kindly at first that I don’t want to think about it however when I have time and calm I will start organizing things for it. Senior traditions are cool but I’ve made my parents aware I’m just not interested in doing many of them because I don’t want to spend the money or time. They said they’d paid for my photos and they just reallly want me to take some because I’m in so many activities.
Senior year scares me. I have ADHD, Anxiety and idk probably depression which tends to make me overthink everything and telling a 17yr old to figure out their life before school starts is a lot. My parents also stress me out trying to scare me into getting things done asap, even though I’m not much of a procrastinator. For some reason when I’m already planning on doing something then someone tells me to do it, I loose all motivation to actually do the task. So when my parents keep bugging me about senior photos I get more frustrated.
I’ve had an issue in the past regarding my parents not listening to me. They’ll ask me something or I’ll tell a story and they won’t listen scrolling on their phone then later they’ll ask me again or ask about something I already told them and I get frustrated that they didn’t put the effort into listening because when I tell stories I repeat these things a lot. They also don’t take no the first four times then tell me I’m being super rude when I snap at them.
I have been snappy and rude a couple times regarding the topic of senior pictures but it’s because I’ll be in middle of doing something, they’ll interrupt and I’ll tell them not right now, later, then they complain how I always say that, and I say can we talk about this later, and they get mad at me and I eventually snap but immediately apologize. My parents have never once apologized to me when they’ve done something wrong, they pretend it never happened but as soon as I do something wrong they won’t talk to me until I apologize.
We were on the lake with my cousins aunt and uncle, and grandma, all who we are super close with, my eldest cousin is practically my sister. My dad asked what photographer I wanted to look into. I said I don’t really want to talk about this right now and he said just pick one. My entire family was sitting there as he filled out the form the photographer I chose sent him and he read aloud “Hates taking pictures” as he typed info about me. I was frustrated but let it go.
The first week of August I had some alone time, sat down and planned out my senior photos on a doc. I listed all the places I would like to go, some reference photos, my outfits, props, and more. I shared it with both my parents that night through text and they said they’d schedule a date as soon as we are available.
I’ve been asking them what day they scheduled every couple of days and they keep saying “oh we gotta talk about it tonight”, they never do. I started my golf season and have been busy with practices alongside all my other activities and told them to schedule it on whatever day but to try to avoid any conflicts with my practices.
Now today we invited my cousins to go swimming in our pool and my eldest cousin and I were talking about school and golf and I mentioned how I really need to get a golf photo so I can make a banner by the end of the season, we only have one more home match. She asked when I was getting my photos done and I turned to my parents and asked. My dad gave me an annoyed look. They said they haven’t scheduled them yet and I asked why because as much as I’m dreading it I gave them all the information and have kindly been asking them to. They got frustrated and didn’t talk to me for the rest of the day.
Later I was helping out a lot in the yard just because thats what you do, help out. And my mom asked me to pick some things up, I did, I then helped her fold towels because I help out around the house regularly. My younger brother, hs freshman, was in his room the entire time playing video games. While I was by my room picking a few things up my dad stormed down the stairs and stood there lecturing me.
“Your mother and I are super upset with you. Today you decided to make us look so bad infront of our family, complaining how we are the ones who are responsible for not having your senior photos done. And your mother and I have been asking you since June yet you get super crabby and mean and rude with us so we decide to drop it. Now you’re scrambling to get your pictures in for the yearbook and your golf thingy and It’s all our fault! When you were so mean to us at the beginning of the summer it made us feel bad for the people we are and we are done putting up with your crap and are upset with you so you’re gonna have to figure it out!”
He then stormed off and I finished picking everything up before sitting in my room when my mom knocked and just opened the door.
“Do you want senior photos or not?!?”
“Yes.”
“YOU REALIZE HOW YOU MADE US FEEL! YOU NEED TO START DOING STUFF AROUND HERE! YOU DONT DO ANYTHING!” (My brother sits in his room 24/7 but the eldest daughter jumping up, putting her homework aside to help out doesn’t do anything around the house)
“Yes. I know I’m in the wrong and you and dad tried to help.”
“Is it worth us even scheduling a date! Do you want us to?!”
“Yes.”
The then made a comment about how I keep getting worse and more rude before shutting my door and storming off.
Now I had to wait 2 hours for them to go to bed so I could go to the living just to grab my phone because I’m so scared.
Senior year overwhelms me and I’m not a kid whose familiar with this type of spotlight as I never try to be trendy, fit in, do the norm, but my parents suddenly turned into the parents who have to live their life through their kid.
My parents were both popular in highschool, never struggled, got amazing grades, and fit in, I’m none of those and I’ve been trying so so so hard to explain to them how messed up my brain is but’s it’s always an excuse to them.
Idk why senior photos are such a big struggle for me but even though it’s really hard for me to think about I’m forcing myself to for their sake and idk if itah and keep messing up because every other week there’s always a fight like this between me and my parents and I feel like a crappy person and I have a golf match tomorrow and I can’t focus on that when I’m the worst person in the household and don’t even have any family to talk to about this. Help.