Anyone else think they have crazed / dumb parents?

My parents?

Listen up: Last night I was doing homework right? So I had trillian/firefox running. I mean they’re always running if for no apparent reason. My mom tells my dad to “check” on me. So then my dad comes up here, shoves me off my chair and points to trillian “WHAT IS THIS?” I start to explain it to him but he acts “cool” and presses alt+tab a couple times while screaming/saying “There’s 8 of these!” I’m thinking oh my god no it’s the end of the world! He points to firefox and starts reading out loud “forum games” from Tales of Symphonia forums. He thinks it’s a game so starts screaming at me “WHAT IS FIREFOX?” once again I try explaining but he just doesn’t listen. I was just trying to do my homework so I started screaming at him too…
-quik

Eh, I don’t want to add to this bash of the parents, although I understand that everyone needs to rant sometimes, my story involves a great deal of drug abuse, gender confusion, hormone pills, loud parties, disconcern for self and others, emotional/mental/verbal/physical/sexual abuse, drug dealing, menopause, stealing from your children, EverQuest, head games, accusations, condeming, betrayl and paranoia, I wont get into it simply because it’s long and drawn out and I don’t feel like throwing a pity party (not that you two are).

As for the rest, you know, some people just don’t know how to relate to younger people. They don’t take the time or the effort to know them and so they just assume they’re like “all the others you hear about” yadda yadda. And try to act accordingly.

Quik, I understand that you try to explain to your parents, heck, I did the same to my dad and they just dont want to listen sometimes for one reason or another, but even though they’re yelling, they’ll just take you yelling in turn as disrespectful and end up with the upperhand because, well, they’re the parents. They grew up in a time that you -did not- talk back, you -did not- mouth off, you -did not- yell at your parents, and anything contrary is just going to make them even more upset. And I know that it’s frustrating to sit there and take that kind of yelling because, as kids, we’re taught that you need to stand up for yourself and don’t need to take it, but it’s a nessisary evil sometimes, especially when it’s something they don’t understand and accusing you of.
In the end, if you’re supposed to be strictly doing homework, even if it’s something running in the background, gathering dust, if you know it’ll upset them and get into an argument, perhaps it’s better to leave it down and not even let it run in the back. If your parents aren’t going to understand, or get angry over it, you have to comply to the best of your know-how to avoid confrontation. I mean, what would you rather? An hour yelling back and forth, leading up to a number of punishments, or just leave the windows down while you’re doing your homework?

The cell phone thing, is a little more complicated. Firstly, an argument over a cell phone is silly. I understand that apparently it’s alright for kids to have cell phones even when there’s a land phone at home. Why? I don’t know, but hey, that’s just how it is. The fact of it being a cell phone is rather irrelevant, even thought it ruffles my fur, the fact of the matter being that it could be anything, but the “I’m ok if she’s ok” thing is really old and parents have been playing it for years. Sounds like they need a bit more of a communication helper between the both of them to set down some solid rules or solid Yes/No answer and stick to it. It’s unfortunate that she changed her mind because of her mood, but unfortunately some people just take things out on other people for no reason, my father was like that, and to a smaller extent, my mother. It doesn’t make sense, and really it has to do with them, not you. The best anyone can do in that situation is talk to them both (at the same time, none of this he said/she said) and ask for a solid yes/no on a topic, so then at least you have some solidity. That’s the problem with some parent/child relations sometimes, they don’t have a solid solid rule structure, or answers for things. It’s very on again off again and children need solidity to know where their boundries are. You can’t very well say one thing is ok one day and next week punish a child for the very same thing. But of course, the bad part about all of this, in a lot of cases, if you try and meet them like this, they don’t take you seriously, so everyone’s once again at a loss.

I don’t mean to lecture, just a couple ideas that could help things along. I know in some of these cases you shouldn’t -have to- walk around on eggshells, but in some cases it really must be done to keep the peace. My homelife really was nothing that any child should have to live with, and while I don’t have a family of my own, I know what I was missing, and how misunderstandings start and how they can and can’t be helped. It’s just a nessisary evil of growing up.

That’s what growing up is all about!! You can’t stand your parents until one day you realize that they are pretty cool. (At least that’s the case 97% of the time…the other 3% have crappy parents or their parents aren’t around at all..NEITHER one…and that’s just not fair to the kids). Parents are going to be parents and kids are going to be kids. You get PISSED at your parents and think that you’ll NEVER do that, then turn around and do it…because it works.

Someguy, what happened with your mother sounds like she has other things going on…so maybe, instead of worrying about a cellphone (which by the way, even though they were available when I was in High School my parents would not DREAM of getting me one…NOR when I was in college….count your blessings my dear), maybe find out if something else is going on with which you could help her. Maybe helping out with your sister and her homework? Taking out the garbage….those kind of things…sometimes parents have a LOT of things stressing them out that they don’t tell you…because they don’t want to worry you.
And one last thing…your mother will ALWAYS be your mother…and when you’re forty and you have your own kids….she’ll STILL be telling you what to do…so just get used to it and go with the flow. A smile will take a long way…and sometimes it’s best to find humour in crappy things. In about five years, you’ll look back on your ugly cellphone and laugh. 🙂

HA! I had a 12 PM curfew (unless I was working of course) on the weekend until I graduated. And after I did, if I came home from college to visit my parents…ohhhh…it was 1 AM. It’s not so bad really, if you see that other kids get to do a lot of the things that you can’t do and that the only people’s parents more strict than yours are military parents…you’ll HATE it now…but REALLY REALLY appreciate it later. 🙂

And cheer up someguy…you’ll get through all of this with great stories and a different outlook on life. And believe it or not…high school FLIES by…things are going to start going faster and faster in your life…maybe you should write a journal and keep all of this in perspective, when you get older you might really like to look back on this time and see how things have changed. 🙂 (I know that’s a teachery thing to say…but I don’t mean it that way :))

EDIT: Oh yeah. I almost forgot…guess who was not allowed to see a rated “R” movie until she was 17???? 😮

Damn. I’m an AWESOME dad. 🙂

*blink* …you guys are lucky…maybe it’s just because…well yeah my homelife wasn’t as normal as I thought it was or whatever but heres how it went.

At home before dark (which in the winter means 5pm)
Curfew (in house)- >17 years old 10pm <17 years old 8pm
In bed- 10pm, period. (And not just in room, but in -bed-)
Wake up- 11am

And to all the good pops and moms *thumbs up* atta boy/girl.
*gives Jeff a “Best pops” mug* Hehehehe.