My parents insisted that I had to start paying rent and buying my own food when I became an adult. It was fine. I got a job and started paying them. And I bought food I liked.
My parents and brother would eat my food. I asked them to stop but they said any food in the house was to share. So I started using their staples and bought extra of the food they were eating.
This became a problem when they figured it out. Apparently my food was for sharing but not theirs.
So moved in with my boyfriend. It was stupid. We were way too young. But we survived. His parents helped to pay for a room that he rented. I worked to pay for all the extras we needed with me living there.
His parents knew I had moved in and said I would have to pay rent. They charged me $400 a month. My parents were charging me $800. So at least it was cheaper for me.
The few times I saw my parents they tried to convince me to come home. The one time I brought my boyfriend home they wouldn’t let us share a room. We ended up getting a hotel for the night and going back after one day.
I worked hard and helped my boyfriend with his schoolwork. When he graduated we got married and I went to school.
Now years later we have a nice home and are doing well and stable.
My parents have come out a few times to stay over and I charged them rent according to how long they stayed.
They got all mad that I was going to charge them. Our relationship has always been transactional so I didn’t see a problem.
They said I was an a-hole for making family pay rent. I reminded them that they started charging me rent and stealing my food when I was 17.
They ended up not coming over anymore.
My brother called me and said I was being a vindictive jerk and that he always let them stay with him for free.