-- Posted by airemaye at 1:17 pm on July 1, 2009 So it's Canada Day. And my mom and I are in Montreal. We went to a history museum, ate at Tim Horton's, and then went back to our hotel. It's only 4:00 in the afternoon. My mom says she's tired and refuses to do anything else today. It's only 4-o-fucking-clock. There's fireworks downtown, and it's only a short subway ride away, but she absolutely refuses to even consider it. I'm so mad. I'm so mad. I wanted tonight to be exciting, but all my mom wants to do is stay in our hotel room and watch the fireworks on TV. I say fuck that, I want to get out into the city and meet people and be in the middle of everything. I refuse to just sit here and watch the festivities vicariously. Background: My mom is 61 years old, and she has OCD. The OCD part isn't really relevent to the story today, but the age part is. I know she can't help her age, but she always complains about her ailments and how tired she is. She never smiles, not ever. She never laughs. She never talks about having fun and she hates being adventurous. She never lets me do anything by myself. Even when we're in museums, she gets mad at me when I go off somewhere she can't see me. She has to have me in her sight at all times, and everything she says to me is said in a I'm 18 years old. I know what I'm doing. I'm smart. I've always been patient with her. I have always had to live with her age and her physical condition. My whole life I've been patient. But I don't know how much longer I can take it. I've always sacrificed my youthful ambitions for her, doing what I knew would make her happy. But I'm a very adventurous person, and I've never been allowed to be myself in her presence. I love laughing, I love smiling, I love having fun. I love adventure. I don't ask for much. Just to be able to act my age, for once in my life. It's been the same story every single holiday. And it'll be the same story on the 4th of July, as it's been every July 4th in the past. I declare my independence from this insanity. I declare my right to be a rebellious teenager, right here, right now. -- Posted by Fortis Obscurum at 1:18 pm on July 1, 2009 But Canada Day sucks. -- Posted by gief at 1:18 pm on July 1, 2009 oooh canada -- Posted by gothmary at 1:18 pm on July 1, 2009 Move out and do your thing? -- Posted by Ska Ninja at 1:18 pm on July 1, 2009 Yay rebellion!!! -- Posted by Hi Carie at 1:18 pm on July 1, 2009 leave her at the hotel. you are old enough to ride a subway by yourself. take a room key, and go downtown and have fun! -- Posted by matto at 1:18 pm on July 1, 2009 then do it -- Posted by Link01 at 1:19 pm on July 1, 2009 can't you ask to go alone? -- Posted by Monroe at 1:20 pm on July 1, 2009 You're 18, go see the gosh darn fire works! Tell your mom that you're an adult, you're going, and that you'll be back soon. There isn't much she can do about it. Sure, she can get mad, but..She'll get over it. She has to understand that you're not a child. -- Posted by 321go at 1:20 pm on July 1, 2009 Wait, wait, wait - Canada Day?  Really?  This exists? -- Posted by LexieStar at 1:21 pm on July 1, 2009 Think about your decisions very wisely. Don't just run off, you'll worry and scare the poor lady to death. Talk to her about it, you need to make her build trust in you. -- Posted by airemaye at 1:23 pm on July 1, 2009 Quote: from barnabas at 3:18 pm on July 1, 2009 leave her at the hotel. you are old enough to ride a subway by yourself. take a room key, and go downtown and have fun! She'd never let me. Not in a million years. She'd call the police if I left. -- Posted by KathyN at 1:23 pm on July 1, 2009 Quote: from Monroe at 11:20 pm on July 1, 2009 You're 18, go see the gosh darn fire works! Tell your mom that you're an adult, you're going, and that you'll be back soon. There isn't much she can do about it. Sure, she can get mad, but..She'll get over it. She has to understand that you're not a child. But still try to do it in a nice way, without fighting... (or as little fight as possible). -- Posted by NakedSun at 1:24 pm on July 1, 2009 She just worries about you. I know its hard but because she is older the more she worries. But dude, you're legal drinking age in montreal. You have to go out! -- Posted by Hi Carie at 1:24 pm on July 1, 2009 Quote: from airemaye at 3:23 pm on July 1, 2009 Quote: from barnabas at 3:18 pm on July 1, 2009 leave her at the hotel. you are old enough to ride a subway by yourself. take a room key, and go downtown and have fun! She'd never let me. Not in a million years. She'd call the police if I left. Thats really sad. I would never encourage you to willfully disobey your parents, or to spit in her face or anything, but it seems like perhaps you are ready for a clean break. IF she wont acknowledge you are an adult, then perhaps it is time to move on. I am sorry. :/ -- Posted by rivedi at 1:28 pm on July 1, 2009 put a post-it on the phone "i left, i'm fine, don't call cops" and just go and forget about it. chances are, nothing bad will happen. -- Posted by Monroe at 1:29 pm on July 1, 2009 Quote: from airemaye at 3:23 pm on July 1, 2009 Quote: from barnabas at 3:18 pm on July 1, 2009 leave her at the hotel. you are old enough to ride a subway by yourself. take a room key, and go downtown and have fun! She'd never let me. Not in a million years. She'd call the police if I left. And then if the police came and found you, you could say "I'm 18." and they would probably look at your mother like she is an idiot. I understand you love your mom, but you really, REALLY just have to tell her that you're an adult and you want to go out, and then go. Are you going to sit and let your mother control you for the rest of her life, or are you going to do what you want to do? -- Posted by rivedi at 1:35 pm on July 1, 2009 Quote: from Monroe at 1:29 pm on July 1, 2009 And then if the police came and found you, you could say "I'm 18." and they would probably look at your mother like she is an idiot. I understand you love your mom, but you really, REALLY just have to tell her that you're an adult and you want to go out, and then go. wrong, cops would ask on the phone "how old is she" "eighteeen" "how long has she been missing" "an hour" "ma'am, she's getting laid, go away" cops smell bs -- Posted by airemaye at 1:38 pm on July 1, 2009 Quote: from NakedSun at 3:24 pm on July 1, 2009 She just worries about you. I know its hard but because she is older the more she worries. But dude, you're legal drinking age in montreal. You have to go out! I know, right. -- Posted by 4est at 3:08 pm on July 3, 2009 Come to Vancouver, there's fireworks every saturday and wednesday night. -- Posted by nikki at 1:16 am on July 4, 2009 You realise if you left a note and had only been gone a couple of hours, the police wouldn't do anything, right?