Right. Okay, time to address this one. I have been thinking about writing this one for a while, but I have never found an appropriate time to do so. I have now. Throughout the duration of the post, I am gonna be making statements that apply to MOST parents. I know that there are some exceptions and I can't speak for all. But bear with me, alright?
So, parents. What about them? Well, nowadays, they seem to be getting the fuzzy side of the lollipop in many situations. Children, especially teenagers, give them a hard time and blame them for many things that go wrong. Is that fair? Um...NO.
Let me explain how I have come to this conclusion.
Yeah, life nowadays for teenagers are hard, especially with peer pressure and media influence. There are so many different ideas of how to live life that it can be difficult to choose which one is the one that is right. In some cases, there isn't even a right choice. But I do believe that many teenagers are going about it the wrong way.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that making the right decisions in life is easy. Heck, I know I've made a few major mistakes. But that's how we all learn and grow right? It's all a part of life's process.
'Where do parents come in?' you ask. The answer? Right here. It is in these stages of our lives as teens when we act out, rebel and purposely hurt our parents. Why? Because we feel like they are being huge control freaks who won't let us do what we want to and when we want to. Let me break it down to why this happens.
Most parents, no matter what you may think, want the best for their children. Name me someone who wants their child to FAIL in life.Why do you think they make you study? Why do you think they force you to eat your vegetables? Why do you think they don't let you out of the house? It's because they want to to be the best that you can and stay safe.
If they didn't care for you, do you think they would make you study? NO. They would let you do whatever you want to and choose to look in the other direction. If they didn't care for you, do you think that they would keep you indoors sometimes? NO. In fact, they would probably encourage you to get out of the house and stay there. What are you other than an extra mouth to feed?
'But they are SUPER CONTROL FREAKS!' You bet. Why? Because parents want to keep you safe forever. I am seriously not kidding. You may argue that this is stunting to your growth as a person, but guess what, they don't see it like that. To them, you are still that little baby that they held in their arms for the first time in that hospital.
Let's put it this way:
You just got a new puppy. You love this puppy with everything in you. Would you let it skip meals because it turned it's nose at first? Would you let it skip baths because it doesn't like the water? Would you let it run loose on the road to let it get more 'street smart'? Chances are, the answer is no. All three of those things would be dangerous for the puppy, and you, as it's loving owner wouldn't let it happen in a million years. Instead, you would pamper it for as long as you can and protect it from anything remotely dangerous. Right?
Parents work the same way. If you have a younger sibling, you might notice that your parents baby them. That's because they want to cherish every moment they have that baby in their arms. You may call them spoilt, pampered and annoying...but that's the reality of the situation.
I guess that not many realise parents have high expectations of their kids. They think that their child can achieve anything they set their mind to. Why do you think that they expect straight A's? Because they feel that you can achieve them. They send you to tuition and pay school fees to make sure you get that education you need to be successful in life.
Another thing that makes teenagers so resentful to the two people that want the best for them is the fact that so many of us think that we know it all. The mentality is 'HAH, I don't need them. I know better. They can't tell me what to do, I rule my own life.' I think this is an appropriate time to ask 'who gave you life to begin with?'. Reality of the situation is, many of us know squat about life and what it has in store for us. You're not gonna get anywhere with that snobby attitude.
Yes, our parents ideas can be old fashioned. But that isn't their fault. They can't help that they were born when they were. The same with you. You can't help when you were born either. But you can show a little bit more compassion and understanding.
'But they don't understand me either'. Have you tried explaining to them what is going on in your life? Have you told them the things that are bothering you, the same way you tell them to your friends? No? Then you have no right to complain about their lack of understanding. They want to know, believe me. Not to prod into your private life, but to have a glimpse of what is going on.
Do you notice that you don't tell your parents anything? Well, they do wonder about what is going on in your life. Five years of your life kept a secret from them is a five year gap in their memory of you. Do you understand where I am going here? They WANT to be a part of your life.
We cause our parents so much pain and disappointment. Do you even bother to look at the hurt in their eyes when you disobey them? Or are you too busy showing them how pissed off you are by that black face and smart-ass remark? How selfish are you to think that they are actually out to make your life a living hell? See, our parents are willing to look past all the hurt we cause and forgive us for it. We, on the other hand, hold grudges and keep holding onto the times when we were inconvenienced 'by them'.
Our parents drive us to parties, host parties, pay for things that we want and give us good food to eat. What more do you want? A personal slave? Some of you may not realise that it is NOT your parents job to look after you. There is nothing forcing them to make sure you get the best education that you can get. Yet we still treat them as if they are doing us a disservice.
We are disrespectful, ungrateful and undeserving of our parents. They go through so much to pay for our needs AND our wants. Most of the time, we don't even say 'thank you'. We just expect that that is their duty. You know what? It's not. And a bit more gratitude would be nice. Especially seeing as they are stressed too. Don't think you are the only one. They have THEIR OWN problems to deal with.
All it takes is a simple 'thank you' the next time your mum drops you off at school or your dad buys you the latest thing you have been begging for, a card on their birthday. Nothing big. Just small things to show that you appreciate them and what they have done and are going to you for you. It means the world to them.
When was the last time you said 'I love you' to your mum or dad? Chances are, quite a while ago. They want the absolute best for you. Even though they have a funny way of showing it.
Whatever you have to say about the topic can be put into the tag box where it will be discussed. If enough points are raised, I'll probably write about this again - to address them.
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