Some families can really make you question your choices!

This young lady had to deal with a controlling family who wouldn’t let her have access to her own finances and paychecks. In fact, they told her they were taking her money and acted like that was normal.

Find out how she got rid off the toxicity.

AITA for moving out and leaving my dad alone while most of my family is in a different country?

I (21F) recently graduated college with a bachelor’s and have been looking for full-time work in my field.

Soon after my graduation, my family planned to leave the country to visit relatives and sell our parents’ house, with the intention of leaving the United States all together.

Things were rough from the start…

I chose not to go with them, as I’d rather live in the US and don’t get along well with our family in the other country.

My dad (67M) decided to stay with me.

While I’ve been searching for a full-time job, I worked as a cashier earning a decent but not livable wage.

I have my own bank account, but my parents have control over it and can add/withdraw funds whenever they want. This is the same with my sister (22F) and brother (19M).

A few weeks after my family arrived in the new country, I noticed the majority of the money I’d earned had been taken out of my account.

This is where it got worse…

I asked my mom (57F) if she took it and she suggested that we hold a family meeting about finances.

I agreed, and we arranged for a time that would work for the whole family.

During this conversation, I asked if I could keep every other paycheck or a minimum amount from each paycheck so that I could pay off student loans and save up to eventually move out.

I won’t get into the details of the interaction, as I don’t think a lot of it is relevant, but things became heated and my mom made it clear she wouldn’t allow it.

UH OH…

After the conversation, my dad tried to console me and figure out a way to resolve things.

We agreed to have another call to sort things out.

During the second conversation, I restated that I wanted to keep some, not all, of my paycheck so that I could save up money.

I didn’t mention moving out, as I believed that was the thing that made my mom upset last time.

That’s INSANE!

My siblings, mom, and dad made it clear that I wouldn’t be able to keep my paychecks and that they would instead go towards paying off the money my family spent on my college education.

Afterwards, my parents would continue to take my paychecks, but that I would be able to ask for the amount back if I wanted to buy a car, pay for my wedding, etc.

They assured me they would keep track of the amount that they took.

She wanted an escape!

I ended the conversation as calmly as I could, but I felt trapped.

My partner (20M) had previously said that he had made plans if I needed to leave home in a hurry, and I told him I needed to leave that night.

She’s conflicted about her decision…

It’s been a month since then, and I’ve been slowly building a life in a different state.

I have control over my finances, a full-time job in my field, and a support system.

I don’t regret moving, but I’m worried I made the wrong decision by leaving my dad home alone, especially since he’s in his sixties. AITA?

YIKES! Her family sounds so controlling!

How can her family expect her to comply with such unreasonable rules?

Let’s find out what folks on Reddit think about this one.

This user thinks this family has more secrets than just the finances…

That’s right! This user knows there’s a better way to navigate this situation.

Exactly! This user thinks the father can manage his own issues.

This user thinks this entire situation is very cultural.

This user thinks the dad can also just move out and be where he originally planned to be.

Her family sounds toxic.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.