I lied to my parents about my international job location

mrsconn23

Dear Prudence, Recently I decided to get a job teaching English abroad. I felt fortunate to get hired exactly where I wanted to go and am now happily living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The problem is my parents. I knew they would be appalled at the idea of their young daughter going to live in the Middle East, even in a relatively safe place like Dubai. So ... I told them I had accepted a job in Tokyo. I’ve been living in Dubai for eight months, and as far as I know they haven’t caught on. I’ve made up stories about struggling with sushi and the Japanese language and even spent a fair amount of time learning about Japan to make my lie more believable. My parents don’t use social media, so there isn’t much danger of them finding out via that route. I love my life here in Dubai and would like to renew my contract, but I feel awful for lying to them! I also feel awful imagining how they will feel if they ever find out the truth. Please help me figure out what to do that will hurt my parents (and me!) the least. —An American Abroad

baconsmom

Um. Whut. Are you an adult or not? I mean, my mom gets scared that I drive at night, in the city, by myself. Because it scares her to do it. But I don't lie about it, damn. 

Heffalump

She should have put some of the mental energy she put into this story toward figuring out an endgame.  Didn't she wonder what would happen as time went by?  This isn't saying that you're studying at the library and going to a party at Jordan's house instead, this is years of her adult life.  What were they going to do if they didn't like her going to Dubai, ground her?  Take away her phone?

It's going to take ten times as much* balls to 'fess up to this whole charade than it would have to simply say "I understand that you're concerned, but this is my decision" when she first decided to move. 

@baconsmom, are you still here?  It's "much" in this context, right?  I mean, it would be "many" if she had two balls and now had ten times as many, but in this context it's a nonspecific number, so I went with "much" even though it sounds weird.

baconsmom

It's much, I think. Because balls in this case isn't really specific items, but an overall idea. Like "guts". 

*Barbie*

if she had balls, she wouldn't have had to lie to her parents.