The Student Room Group

Moving out Abusive Parents

20F from a Muslim household

I don't know if I'm playing my problems down but I've been talking about moving out of my house for two years bc it's become tiring being the runt of my family. I'm the only daughter and I'm made sure to feel that loneliness too bc I'm always ignored or made the problem in arguments. I want to move out because my parents have become severely more aggressive over small actions I do or say and although it's not physical aggression they make sure to hold that over my head any chance they get. Examples of small problems are recently I took 310 to pay for my bus and train pass that would start in Jan because mine was finished. I didn't get to pay for it (from the money my parents took from my sfe and stashed to the side) because they saw the bag was messed with and counted the money to the pound until I admitted I took it over some shouting. They would always tell me the money is mine so I stop asking and bother them and then have a huge fit as soon as I touch it. I don't need the money rn, my next sfe came in I just didn't want to be tied to the house for the holiday (which I was).
Another example would be today as I'm writing this post, my dad had a problem I would sleep late at night after school (1-2am) bc I have no time to game doing all the cleaning they leave after I come back 2-3 hours later. (I commute from another city for uni) I don't have anything else to look forward to at home anyway, but my dad's been complaining and for the past month because I should still somehow be mopping the floor upside down even tho I'm done? like I should be in bed as soon as I'm finished. Today he's threatened to break my pc I built and anything else I care for if I don't just do as he says. I wouldn't normally be doing this cleaning and serving alone but my mom is pregnant with my baby sister.

That's the next problem, I grew up with two brothers and wanted a sister to relate to all my life, now I'm 20 and this sister would practically be my child for the responsibility I have over her and she's made wanting to leave so much harder. I already felt guilt leaving my family behind because they're first gen immigrants and I know it's common but they have no else to rely on and they'd be just 5 left alone. I would've been done with uni soon and been able to work and help my dad since he gets maybe 12 hours of security work a month but now there's another problem.

My mom was told about a Sudanese man (27) who has his life in order and wants a wife, I've been in a serious relationship for a year that they don't know about and I can't tell them either bc they're not Sudanese and they're young. My dad speaks ill of anyone different and it's jarring to listen to but I also didn't care bc I didn't think I'd have to worry so soon. Now there's a man they're trying to introduce me to and even though I've explained I really don't want marriage right now to him, he doesn't seem to get it and keeps trying despite never having seen me himself. I don't want to marry out of my problems, all I want is to move into a small studio with a cat and pretty lights.

I know where they keep my sfe 6.7k (they've moved it into a locked briefcase that I'll just take and go without opening) and I have 2.4k from this sfe and 2.8k from the next. It's my last year so I know I couldn't depend on that but if I were to find work this would keep me steady.

I don't know how to get over the emotional bind I have to them and my unborn sister. I might not even have cared so much if I had another brother but it's not like I don't love mine dearly like my own, it's that I know my guilt is that I'm leaving my sister to fend for her own like I did, and she wouldn't have siblings to rely on the same way because my brother's have never understood being ignored for 2 months because your mom's upset with you or your dad screaming down at you for an hour or two that you've recorded just to check the time because he feels he's too superior over you and calls you the worst things, even after you're shaking and developed panic attacks and feel so horribly alone. I don't know if I can leave her with any of it. I can't lie to myself that they'll get better bc my parents hated me more when I became a woman and wasn't quiet like one, didn't move like one or talk like one or serve like one.

So what should I do? Stick it out? and until when, because the only option they're giving me is marrying out. I'd rather wake up in a bed alone for the rest of my life rn.

Reply 1

Listen, i feel u, so much. my mum has gotten worse as well since 2022, im only in y13. imo stick it out, get part time job asap if u dont have one. After grad, then move to full-time, save up, rent a cheap place asap.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Nny68sjjISphvrCvH1ZY6?si=9ayoGlN6QKa_hbY1_5uw5w - my anti-panic-attack playlist

Reply 2

Original post
by AhsokaTano-
Listen, i feel u, so much. my mum has gotten worse as well since 2022, im only in y13. imo stick it out, get part time job asap if u dont have one. After grad, then move to full-time, save up, rent a cheap place asap.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Nny68sjjISphvrCvH1ZY6?si=9ayoGlN6QKa_hbY1_5uw5w - my anti-panic-attack playlist

I'll try to get the part time, I already lied about my schedule and photoshopped it to look like I end at 7 so I can be home much later so I have time to get the jobs tbh. I have a support system for moving out and my friend's dad works with the police so if they were to plan anything forced marriage related I can get out but it just seems so harsh. And I have to think why do I find it horrible to do that to them but they have no problem hurting or upsetting me in different ways. Anyway I'll check out your playlist, my parents were the worst in y13 so I hope you manage to make it out, maybe tell sfe you're estranged from your parents in year 2 when you go to uni after working a bit and they'll give you extra support, but look for every helpline out there. Good luck 🤞🏽

Reply 3

Original post
by Anonymous
I'll try to get the part time, I already lied about my schedule and photoshopped it to look like I end at 7 so I can be home much later so I have time to get the jobs tbh. I have a support system for moving out and my friend's dad works with the police so if they were to plan anything forced marriage related I can get out but it just seems so harsh. And I have to think why do I find it horrible to do that to them but they have no problem hurting or upsetting me in different ways. Anyway I'll check out your playlist, my parents were the worst in y13 so I hope you manage to make it out, maybe tell sfe you're estranged from your parents in year 2 when you go to uni after working a bit and they'll give you extra support, but look for every helpline out there. Good luck 🤞🏽

Thanks, good luck in life!

Reply 4

Original post
by Anonymous
20F from a Muslim household
I don't know if I'm playing my problems down but I've been talking about moving out of my house for two years bc it's become tiring being the runt of my family. I'm the only daughter and I'm made sure to feel that loneliness too bc I'm always ignored or made the problem in arguments. I want to move out because my parents have become severely more aggressive over small actions I do or say and although it's not physical aggression they make sure to hold that over my head any chance they get. Examples of small problems are recently I took 310 to pay for my bus and train pass that would start in Jan because mine was finished. I didn't get to pay for it (from the money my parents took from my sfe and stashed to the side) because they saw the bag was messed with and counted the money to the pound until I admitted I took it over some shouting. They would always tell me the money is mine so I stop asking and bother them and then have a huge fit as soon as I touch it. I don't need the money rn, my next sfe came in I just didn't want to be tied to the house for the holiday (which I was).
Another example would be today as I'm writing this post, my dad had a problem I would sleep late at night after school (1-2am) bc I have no time to game doing all the cleaning they leave after I come back 2-3 hours later. (I commute from another city for uni) I don't have anything else to look forward to at home anyway, but my dad's been complaining and for the past month because I should still somehow be mopping the floor upside down even tho I'm done? like I should be in bed as soon as I'm finished. Today he's threatened to break my pc I built and anything else I care for if I don't just do as he says. I wouldn't normally be doing this cleaning and serving alone but my mom is pregnant with my baby sister.
That's the next problem, I grew up with two brothers and wanted a sister to relate to all my life, now I'm 20 and this sister would practically be my child for the responsibility I have over her and she's made wanting to leave so much harder. I already felt guilt leaving my family behind because they're first gen immigrants and I know it's common but they have no else to rely on and they'd be just 5 left alone. I would've been done with uni soon and been able to work and help my dad since he gets maybe 12 hours of security work a month but now there's another problem.
My mom was told about a Sudanese man (27) who has his life in order and wants a wife, I've been in a serious relationship for a year that they don't know about and I can't tell them either bc they're not Sudanese and they're young. My dad speaks ill of anyone different and it's jarring to listen to but I also didn't care bc I didn't think I'd have to worry so soon. Now there's a man they're trying to introduce me to and even though I've explained I really don't want marriage right now to him, he doesn't seem to get it and keeps trying despite never having seen me himself. I don't want to marry out of my problems, all I want is to move into a small studio with a cat and pretty lights.
I know where they keep my sfe 6.7k (they've moved it into a locked briefcase that I'll just take and go without opening) and I have 2.4k from this sfe and 2.8k from the next. It's my last year so I know I couldn't depend on that but if I were to find work this would keep me steady.
I don't know how to get over the emotional bind I have to them and my unborn sister. I might not even have cared so much if I had another brother but it's not like I don't love mine dearly like my own, it's that I know my guilt is that I'm leaving my sister to fend for her own like I did, and she wouldn't have siblings to rely on the same way because my brother's have never understood being ignored for 2 months because your mom's upset with you or your dad screaming down at you for an hour or two that you've recorded just to check the time because he feels he's too superior over you and calls you the worst things, even after you're shaking and developed panic attacks and feel so horribly alone. I don't know if I can leave her with any of it. I can't lie to myself that they'll get better bc my parents hated me more when I became a woman and wasn't quiet like one, didn't move like one or talk like one or serve like one.
So what should I do? Stick it out? and until when, because the only option they're giving me is marrying out. I'd rather wake up in a bed alone for the rest of my life rn.

Hi, I am 17F from a muslim household. I am in a similar experience to you. I wanted to move out of my house by going to a uni far away from my house. Because I am sick and tired of the way they treat me. I am seen an inferior to other ppl because I am a girl and since they don't have any boys, there is so much pressure on me to do well. I act, eat and do everything they want me to do but I am never perfect for them. My mental state is crippling but ofc, no one cares because my parents think mental health issues arent real. But ofc, I cant move out of the house. The thought of asking my parents to move out, to give me money or anything else is painful af.

Reading u say you just want a little studio, a cat and lights broke me down. I cant give u much advice because I am lost in life. But, I hope and pray for the best things to happen to you. :smile:)

Reply 5

i found it quite sad to read this thread so here goes: please always make sure you are safe, looking after yourselves (including eating and sleeping) and doing things that interest you to assist with your mental health. You must form alliances and connections with organisations in your respective areas that can help you should anything untoward happen. the reality is that abuse does not discriminate and you are never too young to be subjected to it. Make a plan of what you want to do in your own life be it study, work or whatever it is and plan accordingly i.e. research how SFE will treat you if you were to leave home. (i do not personally think there will be an issue however best to know directly from them). Other than that, parents are meant to be your safe space and it seems that sadly that is not true for OP and others in this thread so i would not feel shame or guilt about choosing safety. Often Islam is misconstrued to carry out this abuse however I can confirm that nothign mentioned in this thread is in accordance to Islam but more likely cultural nonsense remixed with a convoluted version of Islam that people use to justify their appalling behaviour. In addition to the things mentioned here, develop your CVs early on, do whatever voluntary work you can so you have 'experience' on your CV and which will make you more valuable candidates for getting a job. Other than that, abuse cannot be 'ridden out' it WILL damage you and affect you and anyone you have contact with for the rest of your lives so please take it seriously if you see any escalation as it comes in many forms including financial abuse. Apart from that I hope you are all okay and able to make some headway rather than just 'surviving another day' in these circumstnaces

Reply 6

Original post
by Anonymous
Hi, I am 17F from a muslim household. I am in a similar experience to you. I wanted to move out of my house by going to a uni far away from my house. Because I am sick and tired of the way they treat me. I am seen an inferior to other ppl because I am a girl and since they don't have any boys, there is so much pressure on me to do well. I act, eat and do everything they want me to do but I am never perfect for them. My mental state is crippling but ofc, no one cares because my parents think mental health issues arent real. But ofc, I cant move out of the house. The thought of asking my parents to move out, to give me money or anything else is painful af.
Reading u say you just want a little studio, a cat and lights broke me down. I cant give u much advice because I am lost in life. But, I hope and pray for the best things to happen to you. :smile:)

My love, this Tuesday I got disowned because I misspoke, and today I'm allowed back because my dad said I'm to be a quiet maid. I promise you find a plan, a solid one and if you have a lot of friends let the ones you trust know. I find it takes motivation to leave, you can't build that adrenaline on your own. I'm telling you this because I can't yet, my sister is only two months and I'd curse myself if she resented me for leaving because I was an only girl myself and my mother was never making feminity seem like a good thing, like why don't you moisturise or do your hair up when I was like 10 years old and only wanted to watch YouTube videos (I'm also black making my hair hard to deal with anyway). For now even tho I almost made it out I'm stuck here again but I know I'm getting closer at least and we'll both god willing soon live the quiet lives we want. Do not EVER give up on yourself. You deserve the world and everything under the stars dear.

Reply 7

What a read omg. I can't imagine being in ur situation. I hope ur okay op :frown:. I pray things turn out better for you. Unfortunately I have no advice for you but my heart goes out to you.

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