[CaptSensible]

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I think some of you need to re-read the post the parents are in no way a-holes.
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Unfortunately, the way with everything my mom and stepdad give me, is that every "gift" is conditional. My truck, my cell phone, the cell phone service, are all taken hostage when we have a disagreement. In essence these "gifts" aren't even mine, I'm just using them from my parents under the condition that I *obey*.


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Sounds like a good deal if you ask me. If you want control of objects you need to purchase them yourself. If your thinking your parents are trying to take advantage of you and want to see you fail in college you are deeply mistaken.

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I kind of agree here with this post.

First off, I know how you feel. Let me ask you this. Do your parents pay for your cell phone bill? You said they pay the insurance and other costs for the truck. That isn't cheap. The poster that said until you buy and care for the costs of all the stuff you own you'll always be subject to their control of those objects is correct.

Secondly,
Have a conversation with your parents. Tell them that when they give you something and then use it against you that it makes you feel like they never really gave it to you.

Maybe they need to be more communicative and tell you when they give you something that there are conditions attached.
Ask them to, before they give you something, come to you and tell you what the conditions are. You can then decide whether or not you want to recieve the gift.

Thirdly. Ask yourself this: "If when they first gave you the truck and told you the condition was that if something happened to it they would want you to take care of it right away" would you still have accepted the truck?

Your parents actually sound like good people. They gave you a car, a cellphone, etc...They may have some control issues but that's ok. Believe me, nobody's parents are perfect. If this is the worst they do then your WAY ahead of the pack.

They seem, only from the info on your post, like well intentioned people. Personally, I'd pay for repair of the truck. They've been paying the "utilities" on it since giving to you. In an ideal world they wouldn't have asked and you'd have fixed the truck. Since the world is far from ideal I'd just sit and talk with them about it and get the communication going.