I live alone, but whenever I go on a day, weekend or other trip, my father expects me to phone and let him know that I got home safe afterwards. How common is this for fully adult children, and how can I most effectively draw boundaries?
I'm 37 and have lived alone in three different safe, developed countries since I was 18. Whenever I go on a day, weekend or other trip, my father expects me to phone and let him know that I got home safe afterwards. In the past, this has included waiting up until I do so despite a 5-hour time difference, and becoming irritated if I'm delayed, or if I can't give an exact arrival time because I'm travelling with friends. I understand that this comes from a place of love and probably an anxiety disorder, and in the past I've tried to go along with it for those reasons, but it shows no signs of abating and I'm finding it increasingly frustrating, infantilising and anxiety-inducing.
I'd like to get a sense of whether other people do this, and how best to draw boundaries. If it helps, my family is from two different Western European countries, and I'm an only child. |
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