I know that everyone goes through stages of rebellion and what not. I went through mine but with good reason. I didn't lock myself in my room all the time (well only when things got too heated). I tried reaching out, compromising, and talking, but my parents were so stubborn. And even if there was some compromise, my parents would break our agreement and justify it as "well, we're the parents". My parents had me on lock-down during my high school years. When I think of high school, I think of lying, sneaking out, and the like. If only my parents tried to have some sort of relationship with me, I wouldn't have done it. I could never tell my parents, "Hey, I'm going over to so-and-so's house to hang out," at night. I had to be home by 11pm--and that's only if I told them I had some project or meeting. While all my friends were allowed to hang out freely, I had to beg my parents. And once in a while, I'd get the chance.

Image accredited to Prison-Penpals

It was the worst with my mother. My dad would go along with whatever my mom would say so he didn't have to deal with it. The other times he made the decision, it was based on power over the household. My mom would listen in on my phone conversations, and I had no privacy. It is only when I was locked in my room that I felt some personal space. My first boyfriends were in high school, with my first serious relationship my senior year--my first kiss was senior year! That definitely didn't help; it only made it worse. My parents would drive up to the school to make sure that my car was there. If I carelessly left my AIM windows open, my parents would try to go through the history. I felt like I was part of a "Big Brother" society

I know my parents have a reason to their madness, but it only broke the family up more. And I know that I was in the wrong at times. I know I made my mistakes, but that's not my point. My parents didn't handle situations very well. They ruled with the "iron fist" and didn't try to reasonably talk it out. There would just be a lot of yelling and screaming. Without hesitation, high school was by the the worst time for me in dealing with my family. My brothers didn't help too much either--they were still in their immature stage and were not afraid to tattle.

My parents put so much effort into restricting me and got so heavily involved in my "drama" (drama being that of what my parents made it to be) that they didn't really spend time with my brothers. This is where they drifted apart from them---and remains that way even til today.

It's so weird for me to write this right now because my parents don't act like this at all anymore. It's like they did a 180. They know their mistakes for the most part in handling conflicts...but it's just a bit too late for my brothers.

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