Moving out at (18M)

Hi guys,

I'm 18 years old, and I'm planning on moving out this week. The reason why is because I've been running a business where I resell stuff online, and my parents don't agree with me running it. Thus far, I've been hiding it from them and running the business, but recently they found out.

A little bit of background about this business: I started it when I was 13 (almost 14), and ran it for 2-3 years with the help of my uncle. During this time, my parents found out about it and tried to stop me from running it, because I was a minor and they just didn't want me to do it. After about 2-3 years of them catching me running it, they sent me to a Christian drug rehab school in Georgia called Prayer Mountain Boys Academy saying that I was addicted. They spent $100,000 getting me to the school, all in the hopes that the business would be stopped.

To be honest, I wasn't innocent throughout the whole thing. I had to hide things from them, and even spy on them maliciously to keep them from stopping me from running it. But I was doing it all to have a little freedom (I'm homeschooled), and save up for future expenses such as college and a house.

I've made close to $100,000 from this business over the 3.5 total years that I've had it. I probably could have made much more if I hadn't been running it as a minor. I have $25,000 saved up right now, and after my parents confronted me about the business a few days ago, I told them that I had to move out to continue running it.

They're saying that I'm being disloyal to the family and that I've basically betrayed them. They're saying that I'm selfish and that I am only thinking about money. They're saying money is my god, and that this business hurts them because of the drama from the past related to it.

The thing is, I started this business because my parents were strict, so making money was just a means of having freedom. To me, money is a god, and I don't feel like I'm addicted. I feel like the business really could be anything, and they still would have a problem with me moving out.

I feel like by moving out, I could have independence and not be breaking their rules. They're angry because, yes, I have been lying to them about my business. I told them I wouldn't run it, but still did. I felt like I had no choice because without running it, I wouldn't have money to move out or be independent.

Also, just so you guys know. As far as school goes, I'm currently attending a community college near my house and am planning on going for another year and transferring. I'm a senior, and I was accepted into some good schools UCR and NYU Shanghai, but USC put me in something called the Viterbi Pathways Program where they'll help me transfer. So I'm hoping to attend CC for a year and transfer to USC. As far as school goes, I'm doing good on that.

I've told them what my plans are, but they don't really care. My dad wanted me to work with him on a CubeSat company, making satellites (which would be really good at helping me learn about technology). However, I don't really know what to do. They're going to call the shots about the business if I don't move out. They've told me that they will give me alternative things to work on, but they do make a lot of false promises. Also, I feel like what I am doing is a very niche business, with a lot of profit potential at the moment. It could set me up for life if I make enough. With enough money to invest in real estate, I could then pursue the dreams I really want to (working on a robotics tech startup). To be honest, I'm worried I won't find something like this before it is too late. If I wait too long, I could find myself stuck working a job and barely making it after getting out of college with loads of student debt.

Anyway, this story is long, and I left out a lot of details. But I just wanted to get your guys' opinion on this. Thanks a lot.

Note: I'm half Asian. My mom is Asian and my dad grew up in an African household, so he has similar cultural ideals. They're both relatively American in ideologies, but still have tradition kind of tied into their way of thinking.

**TL;DR;** : My parents are angry I'm leaving, and are upset because I will still be running my business that they have something against. 

Submitted April 27, 2020 at 11:25AM by marktuyen95 https://ift.tt/2SbXZCC