Dear Mom and Dad (but mostly Mom),
I am by no means writing this letter to offend you, threatening to run away, move out of the house, trying to commit suicide, or all the other things that I know you will jump to conclusions about. Don't get me wrong, I love you both very much, but sometimes the way you treat me makes me feel very frustrated inside. And since I find it hard to express myself, I bottle everything up. I don't want to explode and be unreasonable and it is not my intention to hurt your feelings. What makes this even more awkward and ironic is that as I'm typing this letter, both of you are right beside me, talking at the kitchen table (thanks by the way for putting the computer right beside the kitchen, where your eyes can be glued to me all the time). But before I (start sounding rude and rebellious) get straight to my point, I would like to thank both of you. Thank you for bringing me into this world, thank you for giving me all your love and protection.
My loving parents, what I'm trying to say is that (you're strangling me) you don't really understand how I feel. Picture an animal that is too big for its little cage. Imagine a mother bear so overprotective of its cub that it kills an innocent camper in the forest. Picture a young adult bird trying to fly away for the winter, but can't because its mother forbade it to leave the nest. Picture me, a confused and terrified mime, trapped inside an invisible box. This is exactly how I feel.
I want independence. I want more priveleges. I want freedom. I hope to be released from this very tight leash you've placed on me since birth. And no, this does not necessitate moving out of the house to a land far far away.
What I would like is... to actually have fun when hanging out with my friends, without having to answer your bazillion calls, asking, "Are you coming home yet?" One time when I went shopping with my friends, you kept calling me over and over about the sanme demand: "Come home now! It's getting late!" It was only 5:00 p.m.! We had barely been there for two hours and the only thing in my hand was your screaming cell phone. On the way home my head was fixed to one position, the window, so my friends couldn't see the mess on my face. They knew. I was an emotional wreck, a bursting volcano of frustration.
I wish that you could let me out more. Both of you have lived longer and experienced more than I have. Both of you were teenagers once. You've always told me how you'd be at each other's houses until one in the morning. Do you know that I'm the "flopper" in my group of friends? I asked you a while ago if I could go out with my friends after prom, but you said no. Sometimes my friends don't even bother asking me to hang out because they know it's not possible.
What more would you like? Proof? Research? Facts?
One article states that overprotective parenting can lead to problems in adulthood, for instance developing panic disorders, or even extreme effects such as cutting or depression. (I am not there yet).
I don't want to sound demanding but why are you so scared to let me go? I want you to trust me. I want you to know that you have raised me with good morals. I am polite, I get good grades, I go to church, and I don't smoke, drink alcohol or do drugs.
Yes all parents have a hard time letting go. Yes, the world is very chaotic these days, but I am confident that I am responsible enough to go out on my own and return safely without you having to worry SO much.
I am not asking for a lot. I just wish that you would grant me the privellege of independence. There are to many things I want to do in the future, without having to beg for your consent. I want to travel the world, I want to ride a motorcycle, I want to explore a cave, I want to go skydiving...I want to do this and I want to do that.
But for now, I just want you to trust me. Please, untie my leash.
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