After a second discussion with my mom...involving tons of the things you guys reccommended bringing up, she still will not even consider a weekend trip. I "threatened" that whether she says yes or no I might just be gone at some point, and come back a few days later. She then informed me that if I do that I better find a new home too.

I like what one of the posters wrote up there about their father saying no, so they left and never looked back. I wish I could do that, but my parents raised me to be just like them, but now when I am trying to break free of their lifestyle, I have too many other things I still need them for. I have only had a job for about a year, so I am not financially stable enough to leave and find my own home.

imi- I really like your style, just leave and then wander basically, my parents have instilled too much structure in my life that I don't think I would be capable of that mentally. I could just ride north though, that would be fine with me.

To the poster who spoke of leaving when your father said "no", what happened after that? Where did you live? How did you afford all of that schooling?

Now I am so lost in emotion that I do not know what to do. I still really want to begin long distance touring, but I do not want to split my family up. Even though my brother and parents really piss me off sometimes, I still love them.