Vent: My solo week in Berlin made me question our family's constant worrying

My parents always freak out when I travel alone. I went to Berlin last fall and didn't call for days. They sent a million texts but I ignored them. Exploring the city on my own terms was amazing. Now I think their fear is more about control than care.

3 comments

3 Comments

jana_hill271mo agoMost Upvoted

Days without a single call back home? That's wild. Honestly, turning off your phone like that in a whole other country takes guts (or maybe just a big need for space). It really does sound like their worry tipped over into something else. Getting to explore a place completely on your own schedule is a feeling you can't get back. Good for you for seeing that difference between being cared for and being managed.

lucas2061mo ago

Man that line about worry turning into control hits hard. My mom used to text me every single day in college, like clockwork, and if I didn't reply within an hour she'd start calling my roommate. It felt less like love and more like a reporting system. @jana_hill27 is totally right about that difference, it's a thin line. I had to basically train her out of it by slowly taking longer to reply, which sounds awful but it worked. Now we talk once a week and it's actually good.

kelly.diana1mo ago

Try keeping your phone off around my family. I did that once and they called the cops for a wellness check. Now I get why worry can turn into control real quick.