SINGAPORE: A 19-year-old sent an SOS to the hive mind of Reddit, asking for help with his mom who barges into his room whenever she feels like it.
“My mom has no sense of privacy,” wrote u/bluerayjay16 on the r/askSingapore on Sept 5 (Tuesday). “When I’m in a terrible mood and dont want to talk to anyone she would come in and either yell or insult me, no matter how many times i tell her to leave.” He added that he has “to scream till my throat is hoarse” to get his mom to leave his room, “but she just tells me to shut up and acts like I’m crazy.”
But his dilemma appears to have worsened because his mum now comes in while he’s changing, even when he has no clothes on “just to ask one stupid question she could’ve asked through the door” after he’s just come out of the shower.
When he tells her nicely not to come into his room, she just laughs, which makes the post-author feel crazy.
Even when he locks the door, his mum, who has multiple copies of the key, uses it to enter.
“Worst part is that she does a knock before entering the room and doesn’t even wait for me to tell her to not come… My room is the only place i feel remotely safe in bc of all the stuff gg on at home and i cant even be safe here.”
He ended his post by asking what he could do in this situation.
Fortunately, many Reddit users offered helpful advice.
“Just buy a rubber (door) stopper from the neighbourhood shop for less than a dollar and slot it under the door on the inside,” wrote one.
“Put your bed right in front of the door. a little inconvenient whenever you want to leave your room but yeah gets the job done,” offered another.
“i DIY changed my room door lock before, all u need is screwdriver and a new door lock. it costs like $15 from Fairprice,” said a Reddit user who has gone through the same thing.
“Portable door lock is an option,” another added.
However, “all these advice on changing lock or whatever is not gonna solve your issue because at the end of the day our parents are just gonna say “this is my house and I can do anything I want”. Only solution is wait till you’re older and move out,” a commenter wrote gloomily.
/TISG
Help! I’m an only child. How do I tell my parents I’m ready to leave ‘the nest’?
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