She’s known for years what she wants to study (psychology) and she’s actually good at it.

But her parents? They’ve already designed a different future. Literally. Courses, portfolio, decisions… all mapped out without her.

So when she finally speaks up and says, “This isn’t what I want”? Apparently that makes her the problem.

AITA for being unhappy with my parents’ decisions for my college

Hi everyone. I’m 17F, and basically, studying psychology has been my passion and interest since 8th Grade. I started learning it at school this year, and I was immediately really good at it, I’d even say the best in my class, and I just have a general proficiency for it.

My parents are both designers, they run one of the top design firms in my country. For as long as I can remember, they’ve been pushing / forcing me into design.

This year, I did pretty poorly in one of my tests, and they seized that as an opportunity to say that since I can’t handle my grades myself (I got an A in psychology though), I don’t get to decide what I want to pursue in college.

Wow.

They made me sign up for a design course this summer, it’s $11,000 and I’m extremely grateful, but they let me have 0 creative freedom whatsoever.

Even while coming up with ideas for my portfolio, they dismiss my ideas and are just forcing me to do what they want.

This feels extremely disingenuous to me, and I feel like even if I do get into the top Design schools, I haven’t earned my position because 1) my parents are doing everything and 2) my heart is not in it.

Totally.

When I asked my mom to take into account what I want, and I told her “I’m going to college, not you, have you forgotten that?” after she told me to shut up for suggesting ideas for the 100th time, he told me that I’m being “f****** ungrateful” and that she “building my future from the ground up”.

I appreciate all that but frankly I never asked for it and this was never my dream.

I still have plans to study psychology even if I’m forced into this. I have pretty good grades, and extracurriculars as well.

How unjust.

Anyway, AITA for asking my mom to take my ideas into account and being annoyed by her essentially dictating my future and then expecting me to be all jolly about it?

I know she’s putting in a lot of time and money but I never asked for this.

AITA?

Many people on Reddit emphasize that while her parents’ financial support is generous, it doesn’t give them the right to dictate her entire future.

This person says NTA at all.

This person says it’s HER life, no one else’s.

And this person said it’s such a shame that the parents are living vicariously through her.

They’re building her future, but forgot to ask who has to live in it.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a mom who threatened to kick out her son after he said he hated his disabled brother, but he fired back that she wouldn’t notice either way.