AITA for saying my mom is too touchy-feely?
Anonymous in /c/AmItheAsshole
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I have been feeling really uncomfortable about my mom's behavior ever since I can remember and have been trying to avoid talking about it cause I know it sounds like a BS issue, but I finally told her and now she is mad and I don't know what to think.<br><br>My mom is a touchy-feely person, she tells everyone around her to give her a hug, she hugs people, she kisses everyone goodbye, and she is just a very physically affectionate person. The issue is that she doesn't respect people's boundaries around that. She would hug people who say they don't like hugs, she would touch people who don't like being touched and so on. As a kid, she would refuse to give me personal space, she would lay in my bed with me, sit on the shower floor while I shower, follow me to the bathroom, nap on the floor next to my bed, wake me up in the middle of the night and just talk to me, pointlessly sit next to me while watching a movie even if there is plenty of space between us. I've always hated all that so I've always been trying to make my mom give me space, even as a kid. I hated shopping with her because she would hold my hand all the time, hug me, and caress my head and hair in the middle of the street, I've always made it clear I don't like it and have been asking her to give me space for as long as I can remember.<br><br>She would get mad at me for that sometimes, but I guess it didn't bother her that much because when I grew older, I stopped going out with her and started spending more time alone in my room so it wasn't that big of a deal for her. When I got my first girlfriend, my mom was really affectionate with her and my girlfriend made it clear she wasn't comfortable with it and my mom would just laugh it off and continue being touchy-feely with her. My girlfriend eventually complained about my mom's behavior which made me realize that I was also bothered by my mom's behavior but it was just something I got used to. I was also too young to realize that it's not normal behavior so my gf helped me realize that my mom doesn't respect boundaries.<br><br>A week ago, me and my new gf were spending the night at my mom's house, we were watching a movie in the living room, and my mom joined to watch with us. I was sitting on the left most side of the couch, my mom was next to me, and my gf was on the other side of my mom. I was caressing my gf's hair and my mom started caressing mine and I didn't like that and I moved a bit away and said "mom please," then she put her feet on my lap and I moved them away and said "not right now mom." Then she put her head on my shoulder and I pushed her away and said "mom, stop, give me space." She got mad and went upstairs to her room and I didn't give it much thought thinking she would just get over it but my gf said "wow, your mom is really into boundaries huh" and I said "yeah, i know" and my gf was like "yeah, no, i'm serious, she REALLY likes to get into people's boundaries." I had never thought about it like that, but I finally realized that my mom's behavior was not just annoying, it was also inappropriate. So the next day, I went to my mom's house and talked to her.<br><br>I told her, "mom, I want to talk to you about something, I don't like it when you caress my hair, or touch my face, or lay in my bed with me, or put your feet on my lap, or kiss me, or hug me, or sit next to me, or put your head on my shoulders, pointlessly sit in the same room as me, nap next to me, look at me while i'm sleeping, sit next to me while i'm eating, etc. I don't like any of that, I want you to give me space, to knock before coming into my room, to ask me before sitting next to me, to not touch my girlfriend either because she doesn't like it." She started looking mad when I mentioned the part about her touching my gf, but she got really mad when I continued, "And i'm serious, if i ever catch you laying in my bed again, i will kick you out of my house and i will refuse to talk to you until you give me space, i don't want you to come to my room while i'm sleeping, i would rather die than allow that, i don't want you touching me or my girlfriend, i don't want to smell your perfume while i'm eating, i don't want you to sit on the same couch as me, i don't want to be in the same room as you, i don't want you to look at me while i'm sleeping, you need to respect my boundaries."<br><br>She exploded at me and shouted at me "YOU DARE SAY THOSE THINGS TO YOUR MOTHER? YOU TELL ME TO NOT LOOK AT YOU WHILE YOU'RE SLEEPING? YOU TELL ME TO NOT SIT IN THE SAME ROOM AS YOU? YOU TELL ME TO NOT LAY IN YOUR BED? YOU TELL ME TO KICK ME OUT? WHO IS THIS? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? I'M YOUR MOTHER YOU INSOLENT CHILD, I'M YOUR FAMILY, IM THE ONLY FAMILY YOU HAVE, I GAVE BIRTH TO YOU, I RAISED YOU, I FEED YOU, I CLOTHED YOU, I GAVE YOU SHELTER, I'M THE REASON YOU'RE STILL ALIVE TODAY, I'M YOUR FAMILY, HOW DARE YOU SAY THOSE HORRIBLE THINGS TO ME? IM YOUR FAMILY, I'M THE ONLY FAMILY YOU HAVE, HOW DARE YOU TREAT ME LIKE THIS?"<br><br>She was trying to guilt trip me so I was like "mom, i'm just trying to tell you how i feel" but she interrupted me and said "You know what? I don't want to be your mother anymore, i don't want to be your family, I don't ever want to see you again, I don't ever want to talk to you again, I don't ever want to have anything to do with you again, YOU'RE NOT MY CHILD, I DON'T HAVE A CHILD, I DON'T HAVE A FAMILY, I'M NOT ANYBODY'S MOTHER, GET OUT," then she slammed the door and went upstairs.<br><br>I don't know what to think, I finally told my mom how I feel and she's acting like I insulted her or something. The entire family is(split) my aunt and brother are taking my side, and my uncle and my mom's friends are taking my mom's side. I think she needs to grow up and stop being so touchy-feely but my uncle says I need to grow up and stop being so disrespectful.
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