Postby Yuki-Anne » Thu Dec 06, 2012 7:03 pm
It might be time to sit down and talk with your mother about boundaries. Granted, that might not go over well, and I would wait until this paper thing is over, but ultimately your grades are your responsibility. As your mother invades your boundaries and nags at you, she is not training you to become self-sufficient; she is trying (consciously or unconsciously) to make you dependent on her for motivation. Explain to her that your paper is your responsibility, and whether you finish it or not, you'll have to deal with the consequences.
Granted, that's all nice in theory but a lot of people with a poor sense of boundaries, as your mother appears to have, react poorly when others try to create healthy boundaries. But trust me, my mother was pretty bad too (once when I was in college she called me at 6 in the morning to tell me I needed to study more). There were a lot of fights but eventually I demonstrated to her that I was responsible for my own life and she didn't need to butt in to get me to do what I would normally do.
First, though, I'd say get the paper done, and I agree that asking your parents to help rather than nag would be a good idea (but don't phrase it that way, because that wouldn't help the situation). After it blows over, sit down and have a calm conversation with your parents about boundaries.