I'd suggest you print this out, frame it, and put it in your bedroom so when your own teenager gives you 'that look,' you can remember exactly how your own experiences compare to theirs. And you can watch them self-destruct or go through horrors with the knowledge that, well, times have changed.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

Maybe I will. Not that I ever plan to procreate. Regardless, I doubt I'd ever expect to be able to relate to my childs problems perfectly ever time if I -do- have a kid. And I'm already able to offer better advice than my mother, who simply expects me (and my siblings) to be able to "toughen it out" when it comes to -everything-. What do you mean 'self-destruct', though? Out of curiosity.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

Weird. I just noticed that this got posted annonymously... :P

by Anonymous 14 years ago

AGREED!!!

by Anonymous 14 years ago

This is what psychologists call a personal fable. Every adolescent thinks they are going through something totally different than every person who has ever lived. You can't escape it, it's just how the adolescent brain works.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

Um. I don't recall saying I went through something NO ONE ever went through. Plenty of people have fought this battle. My mother just isn't one of them. And no one has ever been in my EXACT position at this EXACT age at this EXACT time in this EXACT way. Yes, many, many people have experienced something similar, but as no two people are exactly alike, no two situations are exactly alike.

by Anonymous 14 years ago

I agree with you, even though I didn't even live with my current parents when I was a kid. @102385 (Adrii): You need to get over yourself. Beatle didn't say you were in the exact everything... Beatle just said that you think you're different. Just because your mom didn't go through everything you went through, doesn't mean she can't help. She's gone through stuff you haven't had to go through. She has more experience and she can pass on that knowledge. That's like saying, unless you've killed this type of bird, doesn't mean you can give me advice, even though you're a veteran bird killer.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

The hell? I need to "get over" myself? Not really. My mom's gone through stuff, sure, but none of them are close to the things I've gone through. I know that for a fact. I KNOW Beatle didn't say we were the same in everything. But unless you've been in the same situation as someone else, its hard to give good insight. Sure, people have been in this situation, but my mother is not one of them. I never said she couldn't help. Just that she shouldn't pretend to understand everything I'm feeling/dealing with.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

She isn't "pretending to understand", she DOES understand.... She's lived longer than you and she's still alive and knows what you're going through (unless she's been away and hasn't seen you in years), you don't have to have gone through the same situation in order to understand someone else's problem. That's like saying, "No you don't know how needles work, because you haven't used THIS one." Needles are similar, even if they're not exact, anyone who has experience of using one can use another one.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Seriously? No. It's not the same. I'm going through dealing with my best friend cutting and wanting to kill herself. My mother has never had a suicidal friend/acquaintance or even thought about doing it herself-- she's told me so. She does not understand what I'm going through. She doesn't understand how it feels. She doesn't understand the stress. She doesn't understand.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Welp, I'm sure you'll understand one day, kiddo.

by Anonymous 13 years ago

so so true!

by Anonymous 14 years ago