I think what’s happening is that as we all do, we have a natural inclination to want to impress our parents. Except every time you stutter you feel more in a deficit to pleasing them. This causes more anxiety and you feel like you need to do even more to please them. As the anxiety increases it causes more blocking, and the cycle continues. I think you need to realize that your stuttering is NOT ruining your relationship with your parents. It’s NOT hurting them in any way. The only thing that is hurting your relationship with your parents is the fact that you think that you need to perform well to receive their love. This is what is creating a disconnect in your relationship with them. Stop trying to please your parents directly! Just be you and who gives a dang if you stutter in front of them? You have the power within to choose to stop feeling like you are taking from others if you stutter. You aren’t taking anything from others if you stutter. You aren’t a thief stealing others’ time just because you stuttered. You are a human being that deserves to be listened to. Don’t apologize for your stuttering to anyone! You focus on the content of your message like it’s the only dang thing that matters, and that it’s important so others better listen or they’re gunna miss out! You stuttering I don’t think adds any stress to your parents, and your younger brother causing them problems isn’t your responsibility, it’s theirs because they are the parents. Tell your parents they raised a great child (you) and that you thank them for that. And that you know your stuttering isn’t what you’ve become. And tell them that you are proud that they are your parents and that you are proud and glad to be part of the family you’re in. Doing this will eliminate any shame you have or worry you have that your parents feel a need to help you. If you ask your parents I would bet that the only thing they are worried about is if you are ok. So be ok with who you are and accept yourself for who you are and that will clear up any worries they have about you. On the other hand if they are pressuring you to speak fluently, you remind yourself that love isn’t based on things such as avoiding querks like stuttering. Just tell your parents you don’t want them to focus on your speech anymore and want them to focus on the content of your message. If they still stay focused on your speech, well heck, you can’t control others’ actions and focus, right? But I’d bet that your parents see a lot more value in you, even right now, than you see in yourself. So keep your head up, you’re an independent college student now and start feeling like it. You’re not a burden to your parents, you’re a person with goals that happens to stop by every now and again to recharge yourself by connecting with your family. It’s a privilege when your family gets to see you, because you can only show up sometimes when you have the time! If you want some resources I would really recommend the Dave McGuire course. They have an inexpensive self help book on Amazon called “Beyond Stammering: The Mcguire Program for getting good at the Sport of Speaking.” You can have the book downloaded onto your phone in minutes if you get the Amazon Kindle app. The book will go through psychological reasons for stuttering, give you a breathing technique, and inspire you to get out and practice speaking. The program will be fear inducing but use the people closest to you for support. Keep practicing the techniques and follow what the book says. Then I recommend reading “Redefining Stuttering” by John Harrison, someone who stuttered for many years and was part of the National Stuttering Association for many years. You can find a free link to the book if you google the title. If you can’t find it I will help send you a link. I was surprised to find the book for free after seeing it was sold out on Amazon.