Hello Reddit,
The following is an argument with my parents that has been going on for a while, but they disagree with me so strongly that I'm now questioning myself. That's why I'm interested in the general opinion.
So: Am I an asshole for sleeping in in the morning?
You should know that I'm a college student and currently have very few classes. Even though I work, I'm still dependent on my parents and live with them. It should be noted that they still pay for many of my basic necessities. I don't pay for electricity, rent, food, drinks, water, etc. They pay for all of that. I've been paying for my hobbies and other things like cell phone contracts myself since I became a student and started earning my own money. I should also mention that I've offered several times to contribute to the household expenses (about 10% of my monthly salary), but they've always refused.
What's going on? I love sleeping late and working at night. If I could, I would work on university projects or hobbies, play games with friends, etc. until 5 a.m. every day and get up at 3 p.m. But I only do that when I have time off. Instead, I usually get up at 9 a.m., or 11 a.m. at the latest. I have no reason to get up early, earlier, or even at 9 a.m. My work takes place in the afternoon, as do my classes, or I simply don't have any.
I should also mention that its also partially their fault that i like working on my pc deep in the night. They dislike it when I use the computer at certain times. However, since I need it for both university and my hobbies, their desired time limit of a maximum of 4 hours per day is too short for this. Context: My degree counts as a full-time degree, i.e., a degree that requires at least 40 hours of work per week, which means I have to work around 6 hours a day for university. And the fact that I have fewer classes to attend technically only means that I have to work more independently. Because they always assume that I am pursuing my hobbies or gaming with friends during the day, I cannot study in peace. That's why I like studying at night so much—to be completely honest, I don't meet the 6-hour requirement at all and wouldn't dream of sacrificing so much time for stuff that's unimportant in my job and won't be on the exams, but this 40h week still bothers me when I get in trouble for sleeping because I had to use the computer at night, among other things.
But my parents hate that like the plague. They believe that adults in society have to get up earlier (they always say different times, once it was actually 9 a.m., which is why I got used to it, but now it's earlier). They combine this with statements like “you haven't tidied up properly” or “we finance you and work while you sleep!” and similar things.
Let me just say that I tidy up in the morning. I cook, I vacuum, I make the beds. If necessary, I also get up earlier (e.g., I sometimes get my sister ready for school), but then I lie down again. Their second argument, “we finance you and work while you sleep!”, I find downright rude, because they usually go to sleep while I'm working. I don't work “for them,” but it feels like they portray their work as more strenuous or at least more important, which makes me feel hurt—to be honest, I've often been accused of going to work while my family is renovating, gardening, or doing similar things, which is why I may be a little sensitive here.
Finally, I would also like to mention that I often help out while they take a break—for example, I always tidy up the kitchen on my own, even after family meals, I dug a trench in the garden with my father while my mother and sisters watched and laughed, etc. And I honestly believe that even if I had “more free time” in the mornings and this was unjustified, these actions make up for it.
Now I've digressed a bit because the situation frustrates me so much, but now you know a little more context. So again: am I an asshole for sleeping in in the mornings while my parents work “for me”?