Now now, Lanna. I don’t think you’ve studied Psychology, and you’re not authorized to make a diagnosis like that.
I, however, have just completed a semester of Psychology, and lemme tell you: Your mom is nuts.
Well, if it means anything, you should always feel free to come down here and drive me around. But I imagine Florida’s a little out of the way. Perhaps Diego’s parents could return the favor and let you drive their car? Just a thought.
SanibelMan - My Homepage
“Step away from the bell curve, sir.”
The area where my parents could always be counted upon to be irrational was my grades during high school. Every year, they sat me down and explained that they weren’t going to put any pressure on me to make good grades, that they understood that I was very good in some subjects, and not so good in others, and if a C was honestly the best I could do, then they would accept a C. But if I actually came home with a C on my report card, they always said the exact same thing. “A C? You can do better than that…”
My mom didn’t let me get my driver’s licence at 16 because I hadn’t enough experience. So I spent another year bumming rides home from HS sporting events and other school activities.
Just before I turned 17, she hinted that I should get a job. So I tooled around town looking on my 10-speed. The question was always raised, “How would you get to work?”, which I answered, “By bike”.
It was only 3-4 miles max to any job I might get, and it rained only 30 days a year (Colorado desert). But “by bike” was enough to discourage most employers.
After I turned 17 (and my parents gave me a pickup truck, but no license), I asked my mom about getting a licence again. “When you get a job,” she said.
“But they won’t hire me!”
“Nonsense.”
That evening, I got a call telling me I was once again passed over for getting a job. I waved my mom over and had her listen in. I asked, “May I ask for what reason?”
“You seem like a fine young man, but we need someone with more dependable transportation than a bicycle.”
This happened 2 years ago (btw Ashley was a friend of mines in school. Nothing naughty was going on between us.)
Me : Can I go to my friends house?
Mom : Which friend?
Me : Ashley
Mom : Ashley!? A girl!? You’re not going to a girl’s house.
Me : Why not?
Mom : You’ll get her pregnent.
Me : What!?
Mom : You’re too young to be going to girls houses. In fact, you’re grounded for the day because I know you’ll try to sneak out anyways.
And of course, everytime I try to go out, my parents turn into interrigators, having to know everything I do every single second. By the time they get done questioning me, I just get fed up and stay home.
Months later…
Mom : Louie?
Me : Yes?
Mom : I’m a little worried about you.
Me : Why?
Mom : Well, you never had a girlfriend yet.
Me : That’s because you never let me go out.
Mom : When?
Me : WHEN!? All the time!
Mom : No I don’t. You can always go out wherever and whenever you want.
This conversation always amused me and infuriated my mom.
Me: [Insert question of importance to teenager/young adult]
Mom: [Insert infuriating answer of the day]
Me: You know, I will remember this when you’re old. You also know, [older sister] lives far away and won’t take care of you when you’re decrepid, so it will fall to me. Because of what you just said, you’re going to a home. And not mine, either.
WARNING: This is not a reccommendation for anyone to take this position with their parent(s). DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. Participants in the above exchange were paid actors, and any resemblance to actual conversation with any persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Parents who wouldn’t let their kid get a job?! Why, oh why, couldn’t my parents have had that attitude?
When I was in high school, my dad made me go job hunting every weekend. “Don’t come home until you’ve got a job!” was his refrain.
So I worked as a grunt at Western Sizzin’, where the other employees told me I was responsible for all their jobs, too, and the manager tried to bilk me out of my paychecks. “You already picked up your paycheck,” he’d say, and I had to just stand there and deny it until he figured out I wasn’t falling for it.
First I’d like to thank the good Lord above that I’m not living with my parents anymore. Thankya Jesus.
Mom: Cant, do you know where my maroon boots are? Me: Nope, I didn’t borrow them. Mom: Yes you did! Go look in your closet! Me: Mom, I did not borrow them, but I’ll look in my closet anyway.
(I go search my closet for a couple minutes.) Me: Nope, not in there. Mom (screaming now): Yes they are! I know you have them! Me: Mom, I know I’ve borrowed other clothes from you. You have nice stuff, but I would never borrow those boots. I just don’t like the way they look. They are not in my closet. Mom: Go look again!
(I go look in her closet and find the stupid boots right there.) Me: Look, here are the boots. They were in your closet. Mom: No they weren’t! I know you had them!
Ha, sitting here at the computer, and just heard my mom talking to my nephews:
“Where are all my plastic glasses, did you leave them all over the house? No? What did they grow feet and walk away?” Ah, sockin’ it to the next generation.
When I first went to get a job, my dad was not down with getting a job that I wanted. I had to get some job that he approved. If I refused to get one of his jobs I was a lazy-son-of-a-bitch. Even if my job payed more than his it was wrong. I dunno why. I would, however, hold out for a bit looking for a better job. I mean, why go straight to a fast food place that pays nothing and is always hiring, versus, waiting an extra two weeks or so, going to job interviews to get a job that paid decently?
Apparantly, he saw not jumping right into some pathetic job was lazy. Where as, filling out 15 job applications and going to 15 job interviews for places that paid twice as much was.
He was the same way when it came to what i wanted to do with my life. At first, i was looking into either computer priogramming or network administration (decsision sciences). According to his “inside” sources, and never me, programmers were going to be a dime a dozen (even though microscoft cant hire enough as it is), and I would never make any good money and never get any where being a network administrator.
So, because of this constant attack on any front that I chose I worked for several years (big mistake) instead of going to school.
Now, friends my age are out of their house, and, making a min. of 40k a year upto 80k a year. Doing what I wanted to do.
Best part is, my dad now reccomends those two fields to me. And, he wonders why I have animosity towards him.
