Ent*tled Mother Expects OP To Give Up Their Dream Of Enlisting For The 75th Rangers Just So She Can Exploit Her Sk**l And Talent As An Artist

From a young age, a fierce dream burned within him—to join the elite 75th Rangers and wear the Tan Beret with honor. It was more than just ambition; it was a quest to earn his father’s pride and silence the shadows of disappointment that loomed over their relationship.

Yet, beneath the surface of this desire lay a childhood marred by exploitation. His mother, seeing only profit in his innocent talents, manipulated his passion for drawing and forced him into a world where his worth was measured in money and material gain, not love or support.

My mom expects me to give up my dream, so she can exploit my skill and talents.

According to Dr. Karyl McBride, an expert in narcissistic family systems, manipulation in childhood often establishes patterns where a child’s talents or achievements are externalized as tools for parental gratification rather than personal fulfillment. The mother’s repeated attempts to monetize the child’s modeling potential and now their artistic skill for personal gain (funding her lifestyle, buying handbags) strongly suggests a pattern of instrumentalization, where the child’s inherent worth is conditional upon their usefulness to the parent.

The son’s strong desire to enlist in the Rangers is multifaceted: it represents an authentic ambition to serve, a direct path to independence, and a way to gain approval from his supportive father, effectively serving as an escape mechanism from the toxic dynamic with his mother. His reaction—threatening to drop out—is a form of boundary setting, albeit an extreme one. The history of financial dishonesty (unpaid labor, taking savings) reinforces the motivation to sever ties where trust is absent. The mother’s response, labeling him ‘weak’ when he resists her plan, is a classic tactic to induce guilt and reassert control over his actions.

The decision to drop out for mental health reasons and to pursue the military dream is an appropriate act of self-preservation against emotional exploitation. However, the most constructive recommendation is to immediately pivot the focus from simply ‘dropping out’ to establishing a structured plan to earn the GED while living with the father. The military has strict educational prerequisites; therefore, securing that educational credential concurrently with the move will ensure the path to enlistment remains viable and prevent the mother’s opposition from successfully derailing the long-term goal.

THE COMMENTS SECTION WENT WILD – REDDIT HAD *A LOT* TO SAY ABOUT THIS ONE.

Wanting to join the military is a good thing. However, you need to finish your education. The US military, and those who want to be in some MOS, often need to ensure they have the correct background and education.

Now while you may not like her telling you what to do and using you for your talents, you need to understand that in the US Military, you will encounter all sorts of officers and NCO;s.

The individual in this story is caught between a deep-seated personal ambition to join the military and a history of perceived exploitation by their mother, who seeks to profit from their artistic talents. This internal struggle has led to the decision to leave the current educational path, prioritizing mental health and the pursuit of a long-held dream over parental expectations and financial manipulation.

Given the history of manipulation, the decision to prioritize self-determination for mental health and future goals (military service) is understandable; however, is abandoning the GED path immediately the most secure first step toward enlisting, or should a parallel plan for education be established before fully disconnecting from the current situation?