For seven years, my wife Jane and I rented instead of buying a house, even though we had the money and stability. I thought it was about timing or money, but she always brushed off the idea. It wasn’t until I found a house I thought she’d love that I realized something deeper was going on. When I suggested we see it, she became terrified. Something was wrong,

and I knew it wasn’t about houses.After a long conversation, Jane opened up about her childhood. Her mother had used their home to keep her close, guilt-tripping her about every desire for independence. Jane didn’t see owning a house as freedom but as a trap. She’d felt that way her whole life,