My name is Jenna. Recently, I told my son he had 2 weeks to move out. You know, I was just very, very tired. He’s 29, no job, no effort to change. I thought it was tough love but really necessary. To my surprise, he was quiet. That night, he said goodbye and left my house.A week later, I panicked when I got an email. He said he had been secretly saving up for months. He wasn’t lazy like I believed. The whole time I thought he was out with friends, he was actually working.He didn’t tell me because he wanted to surprise me with our first apartment and stop renting. He said that my ultimatum crushed him. He cut me off, saying I never believed in him when it mattered most. Now I don’t know how to fix this.

I love him with all my heart, but I thought he needed to grow up. I didn’t know anything about his secret work. I feel like I betrayed him, and I’m his mom. The one who needed to stand up for him in any situation. Please tell me what I do now.It’s clear that you care about your son. Many parents face similar struggles when they feel their children aren’t taking the necessary steps to become independent. You wanted him to learn responsibility, and sometimes that means pushing them out of their comfort zones. But it’s also important to remember that everyone’s journey to independence looks different, and sometimes the path isn’t always what we expect.