Hi dad :) More positive post than my usual. I'm 19 and I escaped my abusive parents last year, been living on my own for nearly a year now and I'm doing better. I was never vaccinated when i was a kid or a teenager because my parents are anti-vax but I've spent time unpacking things and doing my own research. It took a minute to get up the courage but I booked the appointment and I had my first shots on Monday this week. My arm hurts but I feel good, little thingss ⭐️💫 It feels like I'm taking my life back into my hands dad, and it feels really good :>

Hey Dad, Mom passed this morning after being really sick for 36 days in ICU. It was really hard but I made sure her autonomy and dignity were respected and that her voice was heard. But I am really sad, I miss her. I need my mommy and I don't know what to do.

I missed orientation because I was In the hospital and I don’t have a roommate. It’s 2 months into the semester and I only know a few people’s names. Most of their clubs aren’t active anymore or don’t meet that often. The one I joined only meets every other week and everyone shows up with friends they already have and I barely get the chance to get to know anyone. I feel like as soon as I got to campus everyone had their groups and idk what to do.

I’m 25, turning 26 next month, and currently attending university away from home.

Academically, I’m doing well. I have straight As, I’m working towards a career in federal law enforcement, and I’m trying to be responsible with my finances.

But I’ve accumulated credit card debt, and I’ve had to cut most of my entertainment subscriptions, including my cloud gaming service. My laptop can’t run most of the games I actually enjoy.
I know cutting expenses is the right decision. I can’t spend money I don’t have.

The problem is that my college experience has already been pretty lonely. I don’t have much of a social life here, and gaming was one of the things I genuinely looked forward to after studying.

Now my evenings and weekends feel empty. I can write, read, watch films, or play a couple of older games, but I’m struggling to find anything to look forward to.

I spent tonight getting angry about it, but eventually realised that being angry won’t change my bank balance.

I don’t want to abandon my education or make my debt worse. I just don’t want the next several months to consist entirely of studying, boredom, and sleeping.

Dads, how would you approach this? How do you build an enjoyable life when you’re young, broke, living alone, and trying to do the responsible thing?