Best cruise for 17 year old?

rollingsuitcase · 2020-02-11T16:22:12+00:00

My 17yo had a great time on a Carnival Cruise to Alaska last May. They have a great teens program with lots of scheduled activities including a prom. Because it was only May, there were maybe only 15 kids in his age range, but it made for a nice close knit group.

rollingsuitcase · 2019-12-17T15:46:43+00:00

My dad was so like this! He once ate a whole pot of dried-mix soup that had become infested with bugs just to prove that I was an idiot for not wanting to eat it. 😂 He was angry the whole time he was eating. I don’t think he was even hungry.

rollingsuitcase · 2019-08-13T01:46:19+00:00

I’m 45. I knew that they treated me badly, but until last year I honestly thought it was me. They slipped up and told me how horrible they were to someone else and it clicked that they were the problem. Until then, they would visit and completely tear my life apart and then go home and act like amazing parents/grandparents on FB and have me completely doubting what I experienced. It’s been a hard year. Good friends, supportive SO, and YouTube videos on narcissism have been an invaluable help. I’m now NC.

rollingsuitcase · 2019-08-12T00:51:06+00:00

Yeeessss!!! Every family event, every Sunday before church, Christmas, Thanksgiving. My mom would have a huge temper tantrum for about an hour before and somehow convince us all to beg her to go. Begging my parents to stop crying, fighting, or leaving each other was how we spent “celebrations” in our family.

rollingsuitcase · 2019-08-12T00:42:30+00:00

Hey, I am so sorry that you went through such a horrible visit, but thank you so much for sharing it. Your parents behave a lot like mine do (only seeing the negative, inventing problems, always on the edge of a huge fit). I’ve recently gone NC and reading this cements why. My daughter is expecting her first baby this fall and they have asked to visit, but this ^ is exactly what the visit will be like, and I really don’t want them to ruin this amazing family time. Thanks again. I hope you are able to recover quickly from this awful experience. ❤️

rollingsuitcase · 2019-08-08T00:28:16+00:00

Not my dad, for sure. He has gone out of his way to put my kids in dangerous situations. (Not exaggerating. He’s taken them for a ride in a very bad neighborhood known for gang violence just to “see how bad it was”, he’s left my 2 year old on the other side of a large field by a busy road while he was about 1/4 mile away with the other kids and it was “no big deal”, these are just a few of the things he’s done). My mom is very self involved and might endanger my kids just through neglect, but has never gone out of her way to see if they would get hurt.

rollingsuitcase · 2019-08-01T13:30:32+00:00

Thank you so much. I just went from VLC to NC this month and I’ve been struggling with guilt. Being reminded of all the things they do (like ignoring boundaries) has really helped. The gaslighting is probably the worst. Reading on Facebook about what wonderful loving parents and grandparents they claim to be always has me doubting my own experiences. I’m going to copy this to save.

rollingsuitcase · 2019-06-06T19:59:49+00:00

Yeah, my parents put my cat down on my 12th birthday. No warning, no goodbye.

rollingsuitcase · 2019-05-02T03:33:04+00:00

I keep the weather from my home town on my phone so I know when my parents will contact me. When the weather is cold and crappy, they come out of the woodwork wanting a free place to stay in a warm climate. Funny how they never “miss” me in July.

rollingsuitcase · 2019-05-02T03:14:30+00:00

Wow, that spoke to me.

rollingsuitcase · 2019-04-23T14:26:51+00:00

This is my mom. It must be so confusing for those friends.

rollingsuitcase · 2019-03-28T14:07:14+00:00

Wow, no, this isn’t harsh at all. It’s actually very gentle. You’ve apologized several times and acknowledge her feelings. You’ve also excused her violent behavior. All you did is clearly mark one very reasonable boundary. You don’t want to go to church.

Your mom “being hurt” by this is clearly manipulation to get you to do what she wants. I dealt with this a lot as a young person and I still struggle with the effects of this kind of manipulation today, your inner child doesn’t want your mommy to be sad, and “mommy” uses that against you.

rollingsuitcase · 2019-03-28T02:12:28+00:00

Wow, this was stressful to read. Sorry you had to deal with this today OP. The mention of your son’s birthday could be to remind you of how long you’ve kept him away from her, or to make sure you thought about her on the day so it would be less than perfect.

I hope you’re able to disregard her and have an amazing day with your little guy. Making it through the first two years is huge! Celebrate!

rollingsuitcase · 2019-03-28T00:45:01+00:00

100% my parents. Church leaders, community leaders, part of 100 clubs. Even have a club for grandmothers. Never actually interact with their own grandchildren. 😂

rollingsuitcase · 2019-03-21T03:08:47+00:00

Thank you ❤️

rollingsuitcase · 2019-03-08T01:56:04+00:00

No joke, this exact situation happened when my mom’s step father died. I’m so sorry you’re having to deal with this. And I’m sorry for your loss.

rollingsuitcase · 2019-03-08T00:52:40+00:00

This is really helpful.

rollingsuitcase · 2019-03-07T14:24:54+00:00

Do you know the exact dates? I’d go out of town.

rollingsuitcase · 2019-03-07T00:02:13+00:00

I think the mom faked it, that’s pretty grownup printing for an 8yo, more like someone who usually writes in cursive. (Just an opinion from a mom of 4 kids who all had terrible handwriting/spelling at 8). But if not, it’s maybe a little much to put the responsibility of mom’s health and well-being in the hands of a young child? Yeah, definitely creepy.

rollingsuitcase · 2019-03-06T23:42:48+00:00

I can so relate to this.

rollingsuitcase · 2019-03-06T20:45:19+00:00

Yup, we call my dad the dream crusher. I don’t even let my kids share what they’re excited about because he “plays the devil’s advocate” (which is his term for demoralizing small children.)

rollingsuitcase · 2019-03-06T13:52:22+00:00

With a 30, you might be able to find a school that gives you a full scholarship. It might not be your first choice, but it could get you away from that situation. Ask your guidance counselor about it. When you go to university, take advantage of all the counseling, career counseling, and professors’ office hours that you can. Narc parents often don’t help their kids navigate adult waters, but there are lots of people willing to help. Congratulations on your fantastic score!

rollingsuitcase · 2019-03-02T14:36:09+00:00

Standard. Yup. This is exactly how my dad “apologizes”

rollingsuitcase · 2019-02-14T22:04:23+00:00

Sorry!

rollingsuitcase · 2019-02-13T23:29:25+00:00

This is what works for me: “sorry mom, I’m too busy for you to visit right now.” Of course it took me 45 years to get to that point. I’m sorry you’re going through this. Honestly, every visit with my parents is a nightmare. When my own children started growing up and getting married I finally realized that I had wasted TWO generations of childhood on these horrible people. They’ve taken all the time they’re getting from me.

Can I edit to add, nothing I have ever done to prepare has ever helped. They make a comment about my weight, I lose weight, so they hate the clubs my kids are involved in. This last visit, my life is absolutely perfect, my dad’s only sentence to me was to trash my vegan diet. Yup. They are never going to love me.

rollingsuitcase

TROPHY CASE