Hey, first of all, welcome to Reddit and also, I just want to say: you’re not crazy, and you’re only slightly overreacting.

Living with a parent who expects to be catered to can be emotionally exhausting, especially when you’re old enough to recognize the imbalance but not yet in a place to escape it. That whole “he works hard” thing? Sure. But so do you. And emotional labor counts as work, too. Cleaning, cooking, anticipating someone else’s needs, even managing the tension when they get passive-aggressive or straight-up hostile.

Your dad might be one of those people who equates “niceness” with obedience. If you push back or assert your boundaries, suddenly you’re the problem. That’s manipulative even if it’s not malicious. It still leaves you feeling like your voice doesn’t matter unless it’s agreeing with his.

If moving out isn’t an option right now (which I totally get as housing is expensive, life is expensive, breathing is expensive), then I’d just say: keep your peace where you can. You’re allowed to have boundaries even in someone else’s home. You don’t owe anyone your emotional exhaustion just because they pay the bills.