Bonds that bind, and stifle
You don’t always tread cautiously through life. You run, jump, stumble, fall and learn life’s lessons. So a few scratches and bruises are of course a part of growing up.
But how do you explain this to mommy? Every time Nahid Meer wants to go out with friends, she knows getting a nod from her parents is nothing short of a mini battle. Even after the battle’s won, her phone won’t stop ringing. “It’s not only embarrassing, it’s exasperating,” says the 18-year-old, confessing that she often has to resort to lies while explaining why she was late from the tuitions. “They are constantly worried about me. And cooking up a story often saves the situation,” she says.
While youngsters enjoy their parents’ love and concern, many feel excessive concern cramps their freedom and makes them feel emotionally claustrophobic.
Abhishekh’s parents turned more inquisitive about his friends circle once they got to know that he has a girlfriend. The 17-year-old St. Mary’s student understands his parents’ concern. “But after a point I lose my cool and can’t curb my irritation. I request them to stop taking care of me because I don’t want them to spoon-feed me about everything in life,” he says.
The only way to give parents a chill pill, believes Abhishekh, is to “obey what they say but make them realise that they should not be after us all the time”.
Ankur Jaswal, 18, a BBA student, says that his parents, being from small towns, have a “different set of sentiments”. “But they have to understand that life in a metro is very different,” he says.
Abhishekh described the plight of one of his good-at-studies classmate. “His mother comes to school everyday to drop him even though his house is just next to the school. She doesn’t allow him to step out of the house alone. Inspite of being in Class 12 he doesn’t talk to any one except his very close friends,” he says.
And 17-year-old Lavanya Iyer finds herself constantly reminding her folks that their daughter is growing up and can be independent. But when does she feel her parents are being overprotective? “Every day, when I go out alone or when I come back from school in an auto,” she replies
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