Every teenager has gotten into horrible fights with their parents. It starts with a request, followed by a “no” and then an explosive war, a stalemate of the common household, no solutions and no compromises. Through my personal experiences, the main reason a fight starts is because your parents forbid you to do something, or their opinions of how you should be living your life aren’t congruent with your opinion.
I’ve been there through the tears, door slamming and “I hate yous.” It seems like the end of the world and it seems that what you think should matter the most, but I have a secret to tell you: your parents probably aren’t as crazy as you think they are. And honestly, the fighting isn’t worth it. It’ll blow over and you’re stuck with your parents until you can leave at 18, so make the most of it.
When I was a freshman and sophomore, being around my family seemed like the least important thing in the world. I wanted to go out and I didn’t really pay attention to what was going on at home. As I got older I realized how important my family is to me. I used to overlook all the things that my mom and dad did for me. Now that I’ve become more responsible and I’m faced with tougher decisions about my life, I realize how much my parents do and did for me.
It kind of makes me ashamed at times about how I treated them, because if I parented a kid like myself, I would probably have to slap them. I look back on the beginning of high school with almost remorseful feelings that I wasted two years of my life on stupid things instead of at home with my family.
If you know me personally, I always have to be right. And here I write that in many, many cases my dad has told me something, I haven’t listened, and then he turned out to be right in the end. Maybe it’s one of those things that come with age and you have to experience it to know what I am talking about, but I promise it will benefit you to have a better relationship with your parents.
I spent a lot of time over the summer with my dad and around my house. It really put into perspective everything it takes to be a single parent and run a household by yourself. It doesn’t seem like such a big job until you actually pay attention and start helping out. I will never take what either one of my parents does for granted because being a parent seems like one of the hardest jobs you can imagine. I honestly don’t think I could do it. Instead of just worrying about yourself, as most teenagers do, parents have to worry about themselves, their kids, animals and what- ever else is involved in their household.
My advice to everyone is to spend as much time with your family as you can; blood is thicker than water and they will always have your back.
-By Jessica Clayton