Abandoned on the Street by Those who should give a Shit (by anon)

Why do we care so much about what our parents think?? Our society holds the expectation that a child is to respect their parents only because we've put them up on some pedestal after 9 months of gestation in our mom's uterus; however, respect is something that is earned... it's not a right of passage because your parents committed an act of commonality and made a baby.

Parents are no more special than the friends we've made throughout the years, friends we had to trust and in turn gain their trust.  There are exceptions, some parents are their child's best friends, but remember, it took years of trust and honesty to achieve such a relationship.

Then, there is the other bitter reality... the reality of a child who only can thank her parents for the late night romp that brought her here... and all the variations in between (the judgemental parents, the negligent parents, the constantly-in-bad-relationships that are bad for parents and child alike parents, etc).

I don't mean to diss parents out there... cuz there are some great ones, and this is not a matter of "my mom said I can't go out tonight." I'm in college lol; I can do whatever... I'm just saying it really grinds my gears that people should feel to pressured to impress their parents (sometimes creating a fear of their disapproval).  Why the fuck should I care what they think when they scoffed at me when I came out to them or when they told me I was gonna "burn in hell" when I denounced religion and God??  I thought the love a parent had for a child was unconditional!

The opinions of a kid's parents have profound impact on her future.  Imagine a girl severely lacking self-esteem and unable to accept a compliment due to her father's harsh, critical, and insensitive opinion over the years and her mother's lack of acceptance to her need to express herself and her sexuality/personal beliefs... through her clothes, music, and art.

Or the girl who can't make the right relationship choices to save her life... after years of exposure to her mom's abusive relationships and her dad's multiple divorces... or the girl who can't find it in her heart to trust anybody because she believes it all to be lies and pain... some parents are merely teaching their children exactly what NOT to do in a relationship.

And lastly the negligent parents... obviously, their moral responsibility, upon their child's birth is to care and provide for the child... however, we know, a lot of parents fail.  So if I have negligent parents, why should I give a shit about your well-being?? "No I most certainly will not give you any more money!" Please stop mooching off those who care about you!

Our modern culture puts way to much emphasis on the family unit; they don't truly take the time to consider the relationships in the family circle... they assume that because this man is this girl's father then he has some special "rights" to her.  This bitter reality is particularly prevalent in developing countries.  If a woman is beat and battered, even though she may be granted a court hearing, the judge will most likely attempt to preserve the "sacred family structure" and keep her in that toxic environment.  Society's become better over the years, but people are still unwilling to fuck with "family" even though the tumultuous environment may be beating down the innocent children trapped inside.  Your family is a group of people that should be your greatest support, but all too often we find the family circle is the greatest source/cause of emotional stress, sadness, anger and self-doubt in an individual.