My mom does NOT want me to go to college. Well, she does, of course, but her wanting me to go is based on her own personal beliefs and factors, not so much my own. This summer, I'm attending a writing program in Massachusetts (thanks for the recommendation, Ejzak), and ever since I got accepted, she's been constantly worrying about the most abnormal things about my trip. I'm having to constantly remind her that I've been on trips out of state without her for extended periods of time several times, but that doesn't convince her. My mom monitors almost everything I do. I still have freedom, but she's still there behind everything, and I don't know how to tell her that her advice often doesn't fit my situation.
This is the dilemma of the helicopter parent. The parent that monitors your every action. The parent that constantly does EVERYTHING for you. The parent that just watches and attempts to be a part of everything in your life.
This was not supposed to be a rant article on my mother. As I grow up, and much as I find her actions somewhat restricting, they're also kind of satirical and logical in some ways. It just shows that she indeed… never changes…despite how much I show I can be without her… somebody please help me.
This was not supposed to be a rant article on my mother. As I grow up, and much as I find her actions somewhat restricting, they're also kind of satirical and logical in some ways. It just shows that she indeed… never changes…despite how much I show I can be without her… somebody please help me.
I am an only child. When I was born, my mother had heart complications which resulted in me having to be birthed through a Caesarian section. My mom was advised to not have any more children, so it was just me and her growing up. Through daycare, elementary, and high school, it was just her. (With my grandma and my aunt, of course.) But I think through all this time, my mother was still trying to figure out how to be a mother and best support me.
If we're being completely honest, I lack a lot of the skills that a typical seventeen year old who's about to enter college and the working class world should have. I can cook, I can clean, I can handle finances, I can get somewhere on my own, I know how to talk to strangers now, I can do an application on my own, I can schedule appointments--I can do almost anything an adult can do by myself. However, when it comes to menial tasks like ironing clothes or picking out my outfits, I leave that up to my mother. I believe that I have a strong sense of independence and responsibility, but me constantly losing things (such as my water bottle or my Bluetooth headphones) just seems to prove her point that I'm not ready for college.
I understand that, but we have to agree that at some point, I should be allowed to grow up. My mom has done a lot for me and I don't want to be ungrateful, but sometimes it's just too much. I think my sentiments can be reflected by a lot of people in this day and age. This isn't what many would consider to be a helicopter parent, but it's my own version of it.
Chase Jones
