Anonymous for obvious reasons.

My friends complain about their pay but do nothing about it… Long story short, I dropped out of school more than a decade ago because I had severe ADHD and wasn’t getting anywhere by conventional learning. I started reading books about basically everything and bettered myself.

After a year, I called a few small companies begging for a chance to consult for them knowing absolutely nothing in terms of work experience.

Fast forward 12 years.. I own a consulting firm, employ 10 field engineers, and 2 office workers. My company grossed $21.7 million in 2021. My expenses including payroll add up to 71% bringing in a total of $6.93 million of potential income for me yearly.

I don’t say this to brag. I say this to inspire. I live a rather modest life. So much so, my friends don’t even know I’m a millionaire and assume I only have $30k max in savings.

I’m usually the butt of education jokes in my circle but I just sit back and smile. Deep down I know education is a social construct, just another way of measure oneself against another.

Deep down I know that education is also important but not at the expense of believing in yourself.

People, believe in yourself!

I’m tired of being the at home mom while my fiancé is out partying

Currently laying awake with baby at almost 4 in the morning, absolutely exhausted but unable to sleep. He said he wasn’t going to be gone long, I told him we can’t be going to bed at 3 in the morning for the 4th night in a row.

Baby likes to wake up super early and I get stuck watching him. He told me for sure he’d be back home before them. It’s about to be 4.

He said he was going to start coming back an hour ago. He’s legit 5 minutes away. I know he’s not cheating, just probably caught up talking the ears off whoever is still awake at his friends.

I messaged him that this wasn’t fair. He said he wants to spend as much time with his friends as possible because he feels like he’s going to get a job soon.

But it’s been a struggle to get him to even look at any jobs, let alone the ones I find for him and send to him.

I just ask for a part time job from him. I’m about to start mine in 2 days, where’s my ticket to go out and stay up late? Where’s my ticket to sleep in till 1 for the 4th day in a row. Where’s my ticket to get upset that the baby is being a baby and making noise and not being soothed fast enough and waking me up?

Just really needed to vent because I’m sick of this.

Update: It’s almost 5 and this dude just came home. I’m livid.

I did talk with him a little when he got home, as much as I had the energy for. I was cold when he walked in and reminded him that he said he’d be home way earlier.

He apologized, but I didn’t really take it. I asked him what happened and he said he didn’t know, he just got so drunk and couldn’t sober up. I told him that he did that to himself and that i was very angry with him over it. He said his head started to really hurt is why he didn’t leave when he said he was going to. Again, I told him he did that to himself.

I told him that when baby wakes up, he’s going to watch him so then I can get rest. I was sick of paying for him being irresponsible. He’s currently sleeping on the couch and will be getting a formal talking to later. There are clearly things we both need to work on, such as my ability to set boundaries, and his ability to respect them. Our relationship will be determined based on our talk, for better or worse.

Our baby boy is 6 months old and was a surprise to the both of us. Luckily he’s very healthy and happy and hasn’t been affected by any of this.

My daughter “Jane” 16y.o has about $2800 in savings. She got the money from saving up the allowance, running errands, and selling homemade jewelry. She treasures her money a lot.

Yesterday, my son Jon (M10) told me that Jane paid her friend to tear up his painting. He loves art and has been working on a painting of a winter landscape. The worst thing is that the painting was supposed to be for Jane (for her Christmas present).

He was so upset, and obviously, I was furious. I demanded an explanation from Jane, and she said “It was supposed to be for a reaction video…” I told her I didn’t care, it was a horrible thing to do. She argued again and again that it was just for fun. Jon said it wasn’t funny and was visibly hurt.

Eventually, Jane gave a half-hearted apology. I told her that she wasn’t sorry, the apology meant nothing. So, as a punishment – I told her I was going to take away all her money until I felt she deserved it again. I would also never give her allowance again.

She looked stunned and started getting hysterical. She said that was her hard-earned money, she worked for it so hard and now I was taking it away. “All for a silly thing!” was what Jane said. She started crying that she was going shopping with her friends next weekend, and now she would have no money. She stormed out tearfully and locked herself in her bedroom.

Jon agreed with what I did, but he said I should give it back to her when she apologises properly. I feel it’s too lenient. He’s already ready to paint another landscape for her if she apologizes.

My husband is totally horrified with my decision and said it was unfair to Jane. He said I should just ground her for a month. He thinks I’m being an A-Hole (and of course so does Jane). So is my punishment too harsh?

Here is what netizens thinks:

• Withholding her allowance until you’re able to pay the damages out of it if she won’t step up and do it herself is entirely reasonable. Seizing money she’s earned without any involvement from you is not.

• Tearing his painting in front of him to capture his reaction is downright mean. But your reaction was out of line. The punishment didn’t suit the crime. Confiscating her money for an unknown amount of time is outright preposterous. She needs it and it’s hers.

• It’s not about the punishment fitting the crime. It’s about the punishment getting through to the child that committed the crime.

My fiancé (32M) got violent with me (28F) for the first time. We are supposed to be getting married this month

I desperately need advice, I’ve been sitting on the floor crying for an hour because I have no idea what to do.

My fiancé who I have been with for 8 years got violent with me for the first time today. We were arguing when he suddenly grabbed me by the throat and pinned me against the wall. It all happened really fast.

He immediately apologised, asked if I was okay and then told me he needed to go for a drive to calm down. He isn’t back yet.

We’re supposed to be getting married on the 17th of this month.

I know the most obvious thing would be to cancel the wedding and leave him but ONE incident over the course of 8 years – is that really worth losing all the money spent on this wedding?

Is it worth losing the man that I love? I feel like I can’t think clearly. How am I supposed to deal with this situation?

Netizen’s comments

Cancel the wedding at the very least if you are not ready to leave him. But I suggest to get some distance at least or just leave him. The fact that it happened for the first time after a long time is not a guarantee that he won’t so it again.

Then therapy or whatever for the both of you. You might need help to get through what he did and he certainly needs it.

i hate being pregnant and i wish it would end.

i’m nearly 37 weeks. I’m so close, but it doesn’t feel like there’s an end in sight. people love to say ‘pregnancy is beautiful’. whoever said that is a liar.

no one understands what you’re going through. you’re looked at as hormonal, dramatic and emotional. no one understands that your body is no longer yours, you don’t feel like yourself, you feel left out, your body won’t ever be the same, you have to go through a life-altering event just to get it over with.

the anxiety of hoping your baby is okay. the restrictions of your movements. the list of food that you’re not allowed to eat. it is never ending.

i feel like people only see the surface. the baby shower, gender reveal and bump pictures. but it’s so much more than that.

i HATE being pregnant. i truly do. i’m excited for my baby, but i want to feel like myself again. it’s almost over for me, but i know i won’t be the same after this experience. if you feel this way, please know you’re not alone.

Netizens’ comments

• The best is when people say “sleep now while you can.” It’s damn near impossible to sleep well with this freeloader that’s smashing your bladder flat while simultaneously kicking you in your cervix.