Parents: The Never Ending Battle... Or Is It?

Lets face it - parents can be a drag.

I mean yeah you love 'em, but so often it seems like they just don't get that you're not twelve years old anymore. You've changed since then. You've grown up. In fact, some of you may even look more "grown up" than your parents. Maybe one of your parents was never really there for you. Or maybe you have awesome parents, but you still feel like an isolated little kid. But no matter what the case, one thing is clearly true-

Whether you like it or not, your parents are basically in charge of you. And sometimes that sucks.

Yes, they do pay for everything, and they have taken care of you for your entire life, but do they have to run your life as well? Do they have to always be looking over your shoulder, making sure you don't screw up? Everybody makes mistakes sometimes, but why is it they only freak out when you make the mistake? You don't yell at them when they screw their lives up. But time after time, they go to ridiculous measures to make sure you're still breathing. And we all ask the same question: WHY?

The Answer: BECAUSE YOUR PARENTS LOVE YOU.

Yeah. That's why.

I didn't get this til I was 17. I was soon to be getting my driver's licence, and out of nowhere I get a call from my Dad. Some kid who worked for him on the farm, about 16, was hit and killed by a drunk driver. I had met him a couple of times, and worked with him. I was a little shaken up. Next time I saw my Dad, he hugged me, and even cried. Now, my Dad almost never cries. The man has way too much pride for that. In fact, it always seems like my Dad tries to avoid the actual "parenting" part of parenting (my parents are divorced, you see). But hearing about a kid my age getting killed shook even him to the core. Because they don't want that to be us. They've lived a lot more life than us. They've seen kids our age drink, overdose, commit suicide, get pregnant, go through break ups, fail midterms, have mental breakdowns, got to prison, never graduate, get depression, lose friendships, have their dreams crushed before their eyes, and even go off to war and die for their country. And, quite selfishly, they don't want to have to watch your casket be placed in a hole and be covered with dirt.

So really all I can say is this- love and respect your parents. No, they are not always right, and yes, they do make many mistakes. But that last thing you want to do is ruin the longest relationship you've had with another human being over something stupid. Because it's a lot harder to build that back up. In fact, you may never build it back up.

And if the relationship is already bad, don't do anything to make it worse. Your parents are who they are whether or not that's good or bad. You can't change them, but you don't have to make the same mistakes. 

So muscle through, no matter what. The best of life comes after you graduate anyways.
-JD