This post might be more about my mother than me but here goes:

I love my mom a lot and I think she's one of the best moms one can ask for (disclaimer) but I can't help but feel sometimes that she's a little too...goal-oriented. Like for example she used to nag me about joining more clubs in high school so I could "socialize" more (pretty sure it has to do more with being productive) but if I hang out with/see my friend (who goes to the same university as I do) more than once a week she doesn't like that and thinks I'm wasting my time. She does have to pay $5,000 a year for me to go to school and she doesn't make a ton, but I know she's also upset at me because I transferred schools (where she had to pay even less originally) and changed my major from biology/pre-med to a design major. She's mostly disappointed because I could have graduated in 3 years with a BS but now have to take a total of 5 years to get my more expensive BFA degree, which she thinks is more useless than a BS. She also thinks that I changed schools and majors mainly because of my friend, and she says I'm a social chameleon so she's worried that I'm being influenced badly by my friend. (She doesn't dislike my friend, she dislikes her "choices" in life, a.k.a. majoring in Illustration and allowing herself to fail some classes over the years). Every time I hung out with her at either her house or mine during high school, my mom would always need to know what we were up to. When I told her we mostly just sat around and talked/played video games, she'd always look/sound disapproving. She thinks I need a reality check. To get back to the present, I mostly transferred because I was having a horrible time emotionally and I regretted not going to my current school for my current major in the first place--regardless if my friend goes there or not (it's just a big bonus that she does). I've always been a skilled artist for my age but I've just never been confident in my ability to make a career out of my talent because everyone in my family thinks it's nearly impossible/a fool's dream; my mom's fiancé actively looks down on those who pursue artistic careers because a lot of them don't make it into their field, are making low salaries, and look foolish in the end (in his eyes). My mother says she wants me to be happy and it's my choice but it feels like she's always reminding me blatantly or subtly that she doesn't approve of my decisions. I think she's just paranoid but it's got me doubting myself as well. I've always succeeded academically so I think she had way higher hopes for me; right now she thinks I'm wasting my "potential" because I hung around artsy people and let them sway me (which I guess might be partly true--if I didn't have any artsy friends and only science friends maybe I would have just stayed in my original major). I'm living at home so I have to put up with this often; if I didn't live under her roof she says she wouldn't say anything. This makes me want to dorm but I know I'd have a horrible time living with other college students so I don't (plus it's even more expensive). I'm not sure how to navigate this situation for the next four years; I want to able to have more social freedom and enjoy my time at college.

Sorry it's a little lengthy!