September 24, 2024 at 6:48 pm

A New Employee Refuses To Share Their Boss’s Personal Number With Their Overprotective Mother, But She Claims It’s Necessary Due To Her Health Issues

by Benjamin Cottrell

Source: Canva/WICHAYADA SUWANNACHUN, Reddit/AITA

It’s natural for parents to feel overprotective of their children, but when their children are pushing 30, it may be time to loosen the reins.

After recently suffering a medical episode, this overprotective mother demands the personal phone number of their child’s boss in case of an emergency.

When the child refuses, a internal clash ensues between respecting their mother’s concerns and putting their best foot forward at their new job.

Read on for all the details.

AITA for refusing to give my mother my bosses personal number?

I am in my late 20s and recently got a new job.

I love it, but ever since I accepted it, my mother has started demanding to have my bosses personal number “in case I go missing”.

As I am nearly 30, I thought this was ridiculous and controlling. To clarify, I currently live with my mother for financial reasons.

They try to reason with their mother.

I explained to her that this was unreasonable, as it would be a serious privacy and confidentiality issue.

Not to mention what message it may send to my new employers if I were to ask for a personal number for my mother.

I told her it was pointless anyway as we all leave the office at the same time, so no one would even know if I had an accident on the way home.

But their mother doesn’t take it well.

However, my mother thinks I’m the one being unreasonable, and is now refusing to talk to me and getting angry when I try to explain that breaching my bosses privacy can and will get me fired.

Now they’re left questioning their decision.

I do feel extremely bad about saying no, as my mother recently suffered a mini stroke and it has caused her to become somewhat overbearing (more than normal) and have some memory issues.

She claims she would never actually use the number but I think asking for my bosses number to give to my mother is both ridiculous and invasive.

AITA here?

Sounds like neither party is seeing eye-to-eye here.

Reddit weighs in.

Two things can be true at one time.

Source: Reddit/AITA

This redditor says the adult child has every right to refuse their mother’s request.

Source: Reddit/AITA

This commenter doubts their mother is in the right headspace to be trusted with delicate boundaries.

Source: Reddit/AITA

There is a potential compromise here.

Source: Reddit/AITA

In a new job, maintaining boundaries and making a good impression are almost just as important as doing the job itself.

Even the most loving people have to put themselves first sometimes.

If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.