Dear 15-year-old me.
Remember that time in Grade 8 when you went to stay at your aunt’s house in Clifton with your family and you brought Tanya, Lynette and Nicole along? You met a tattoo artist on the beach one day and he invited you to that club Chilli n’ Lime and you and your friends where so angry when your parents said that you couldn’t go. Do you understand now why they said no? It was a ridiculous request and I can’t believe that you were even surprised at their refusal. At the time you wished that you were older, that you could drive and didn’t have to answer to your parents. You longed for the time when you would be able to do anything you pleased without any responsibility towards anyone. How I wish now that you appreciated your parents and knew that they only had your best interests at heart. I wish that you had appreciated a time when you didn’t have to take responsibility for yourself and your actions – the biggest responsibility of all. Being without parents close at hand to get you out of tricky situations or to lend a shoulder to weep on has made me realise how much I loved being under the protective wing of my parents, who would drop anything to help me if I needed it and who would bend over backwards to make sure that I was safe and happy. I miss being said “no” to. I miss not having to make decisions for myself and I’m tired of having to rely on my own moral judgement when making those decisions. You’re at a stage in your life when all you want to do is break free – but hold on. Enjoy the baths that mom runs for you when you’ve had a terrible day and appreciate the fact that your parents love you and only want to see you happy – appreciate it when mom says to you “just wait a few more years”.
Yours in confidence always
Me
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3 comments:
Hi there,
Your blog post is very appropriate considering how few Rhodents actually appreciate their parents and families now that they are away from home. Beginning the post with a question posed to your younger self about an experience or memory is a great way of initiating a personal relationship with the reader. My post uses the same technique. Rhodents often don't realise just how homesick they actually are and as first years we need understand that our parents worry about our lives here without them. As a result of not realising the complex issues behind "breaking free," we get ourselves into all sorts of trouble that our parents would definitely disapprove of but we also know that they would still love us unconditionally. We need to appreciate the support our parents offer to us on a daily basis, even though we don't always make the most of it.
Check out my playground at http://canetrain.blogspot.com/2008/09/letter-to-my-younger-self_26.html
Hey there
The letter on your blog is so true. Im glad that your touched on a serious matter although the young naive you would still take this advice for granted. Mnay of us just want to run away from home, friends and fam,ily who teach you valued lessons in life. And yes we should appreciate our parents who provide everything and make sure we are comfortable and safe. But it's not just being comfortable, we should as our younger selves learn and take responsibility so what we are taught (our values and morals) at home, we may apply when we are by ourselves, identifing who we are and where we want to be. This would make it easier to survive at university and therefore becoming better people.
Dear Megan
Reading your post has made me realise that this home-sickness virus has not infected just me. During our tender teenage years we all tend to neglect the love our parents show us. When they tell us “no” we seem to not realise that it’s for our good. All they wish to do is protect us, because they know that we sometimes (as teenagers wanting to experience all the world has to offer) lack the ability to do so ourselves. This is an issue I also dealt with in my blog post. The imprisonment that we feel when at home causes us to resent our parent when they are harsh with any decisions that they make that are not to our fancy. But I too have come to the realisation that we need those harsh decisions to keep us in check. I agree that independence is something that is longed for by so many teenagers but coming to University and gaining that independence, only results in one realising that independence is in a powerful alliance with responsibility; a responsibility that our parents eased when we were at home.
If you wish to read more on my experience of this issue you can visit my blog: www.gerbilthefunkyrhodent.blogspot.com
All the best to you
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