Recently I’ve been having a very hard time with my parents. In 2012 they opened a restaurant, which I proudly worked at, with no pay. I was only 15 & I lived at home with them. I really just wanted to help.
Fast forward to now, I am 28 with almost nothing. I didn’t go to school because I was under the false impression that I would someday partner with my parents. They have taken almost everything from me. From my taxes to the stimulus’; they filed that I was unemployed WHILE working at their store & claimed that as well. I can’t even file for taxes because it’s not my address or bank info, it’s theirs & the IRS has yet to get back to me (it’s been almost 7 months). It was a one ended relationship where I really just wanted validation but I never got it & I don’t think I ever will. My dad still claims that he “hasn’t gotten back his return on investment from having me”. I did everything I could for them from working 70+ hours at this store, to creating their graphics & websites, to cleaning their condo & grocery shopping for them. They extorted me, threatened me when I tried to get a second job so that I could at least have ANY money. I can’t even ask extended family because they are all invested in my parents businesses & have refused any help in fear of backlash. I slept on the couch in the dining room. I had no room, closet, bathroom, no door. Most of the time I didn’t even have time to take a shower because if I wasn’t up at 7 to get to the store by 8, I wouldn’t be able to have the one day off that I did have. All of my things were under this couch. I am currently working two jobs but they barely pay the rent. I’m asking for literal money for food & basic hygiene products at this point to at least get me through to next month. All of what I do make goes to rent & utilities so that I at least have somewhere to sleep at night. I eat at work because they have a free meal each day but I basically live on gas station snacks. Not like food food, like actual $2 bag chips. I can’t afford anything else. I’ve been trying to get my life together but it is very hard when I don’t have any help to the point where I’m having to ask the internet. It will be much appreciated. I never knew what it was like to have to worry about eating everyday until now & I’m in a spot that I just can’t get out of as of today. All I’ve learned from this experience is sometimes, you just have to accept people for what they actually are & not what they are to you. I spent a long time thinking everyone’s parents were like mine. I truly believed this until my life started falling apart because of them.
& if you’re asking “Why have they done this?” Simply because they wanted to. They don’t want me to have anything & anything I did have, it was theirs. They’ve always been like this & I tried to blame it on how young they were when they had me but this is just not right.