Mom demands 25-year-old daughter drive her to work after they start working in the same place, daughter refuses, claiming she needs space: ‘I'm living, breathing, and working with my mother’

You can love someone dearly, hold them very close to your heart, and still not want to spend every hour of every day with them.

And that is totally okay. In fact, putting up boundaries when it comes to your loved ones is often a necessity, a crucial part of any relationship.

One thing many people struggle with is how to explain to the people they love that they need some space. Loving someone doesn't mean that we want to spend every single minute we have with them, but that can be difficult to explain to them without it being insulting. How do you tell someone, "I love you, but I need some time alone, I can't be with you all the time", without making it sound like you are tired of them?

Well, you tell them exactly like that. I love you, but I value my time alone, and I can't be with you all the time. It doesn't have to be difficult, and if they love you too, they will respect your needs. Hopefully.

The mom in the story below is having trouble accepting that her 25-year-old daughter needs her space. The mother-daughter duo live together and work together, and recently, even their shifts aligned, so they are together almost every single minute of their lives. The only time that they are apart at the moment is during their commute to and from work. Those 20 minutes are valued very much by the young adult, who needs to prepare for the day alone in her car. 

Recently, Mom thought it would be better if the two of them drove to work together, instead of taking two separate cars. That was the straw that made the daughter say to her mom, "I love you, but I need space", then refuse the request to car share to work. Mom, unfortunately, couldn't accept her daughter's need for some time alone and was not happy with the boundary she set. She accused her daughter of being selfish and childish, which is now causing a big strain in their relationship.

Is it okay for the daughter to refuse her mom's demands and continue to commute to work alone, or is she overreacting with her need for time away from her mother? Keep scrolling to read the full story…