Some parents struggle to let go, even when their children grow into adults.

One hardworking college student paid her own tuition, handed over thousands in rent, and still wasn’t allowed financial freedom — so she started hiding things just to survive.

Now she’s asking herself if secrecy is the only way to claim independence from her controlling parents.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITA for not telling my parents that i have a secret part-time job?

I have very strict parents who give me very little freedom. I’m a university student who pays my own tuition, and I’ve paid my parents like $20K in rent already at 19 years old.

Her parents have been no strangers to taking her money, so she’s started hiding it away.

They also take most of my paycheck that doesn’t go toward my tuition away. Therefore, I’m thinking of making a new bank account and having a secret job that I don’t tell them about.

But she worries how much longer she’ll be able to keep it up.

I feel bad hiding things, but there are just some things that I feel like they won’t understand.

And since I’m an adult, I feel like I should be able to make this decision by myself. I’m not even doing anything wrong.

I don’t know. I hate lying about stuff, but they’re not letting me be open about this with them.

She feels like she’s done her part in being honest, but her parents haven’t returned the favor.

They want me to go into debt for university even though, when I worked in high school, they told me that “I didn’t have to work”—so they never told me they needed rent. Yet I still paid them.

I was saving money for tuition.

And it’s not like I am taking advantage of them either—I’ve paid them so much in rent already.

Now she wonders if she’s doing the right thing.

So should I feel guilty about having a secret job? I hate lying. I wish they’d let me be open with them.

AITA?

She didn’t want to lie, but she couldn’t keep sacrificing herself to prove loyalty they never seemed to return.

Reddit is sure to have some strong opinions on this one.

She shouldn’t feel guilty about looking out for her own future.

It’s official: This young woman cannot trust her parents.

She’s absolutely right for keeping certain parts of her life under wraps.

This user has more financial tips.

At this point, she wasn’t rebelling — she was surviving.

And if her parents couldn’t understand that, then that’s on them.

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.