Your Parents

[Palamon]

(Tagged serious in case anyone has serious stories to tell.)

How do your parents treat you?

[Ebail]

My parents treat me pretty well. I'm fairly certain it all stems from when I was just a baby. When I was only a year and a half old my younger brother was born, and was born with down syndrome. So (I come from a big family of 7 boys altogether, and then my parents too) there wasn't much room, and I had to lose my crib already. I tried sharing a room with various brothers, but I never felt comfy and so I'd started sleeping on a sofa or the floor in the living room from when I was like 7.

And they also had to go to a specialty hospital a state away a lot when he was a baby thus having no time for me (while I'm still not even really 3 years old yet) and me mainly being watched/raised by my older brothers (and tv) in early years.

So as time went on I started being a bit spoiled by them (until I turned 18 anyway, not to say they stopped treating me well, just not as much since I wasn't a kid anymore haha) despite being a kinda poor family they will still get me stuff at times, whether it was a video game or an anime vhs/dvd, getting me a bit more for Christmas than my older brothers, getting me a birthday gift and taking me out for it. I guess cause they always felt kinda bad about me not getting to have much of a childhood.

They still treat me well now, but that's probably because while living at home I do contribute by getting things, paying for the cable and internet (I do use it so) and because I am usually pretty responsible and don't give them a hard time.

[Soups]

I've got no complaints about my parents. Although they split when I was very young, I still see them both almost every single day and they've each done an exceptional job of loving me and raising me to be the young man that I am today.

[Neo Emolga]

My parents have always been pretty awesome.

My mom passed away from cancer a few years back, and that was something that completely eviscerated my spirit pretty badly, because she's always been super nice, incredibly helpful, caring, compassionate, and so full of fun, support, and love. I so badly wanted to see her make a recovery, but things just got worse instead of better and I was totally crushed by it. There isn't a single day that goes by that I don't absolutely miss her, and there are plenty of times when I think about her and become incredibly melancholy and just wish I could spend more time with her again.

My dad is pretty respectful and understanding. He may toss a witty and snarky comment here and there, but he's a good guy and has been supportive in my tough times of trying to find a job and get going with life. He does a few quirky things here and there, but generally he's been really good with just about everything.

[Noblejanobii]

I'm glad everyone else has great parents. I… well they're aren't the best.

My mother is like the ultimate helicopter parent. She's extremely limiting and oppressive, especially when I was living under her own roof. I had to wear what she wanted me to wear, I had to wear makeup perfectly, etc. She's never liked that I'm so invested in Pokémon and other anime type things. She thinks they're a waste of time. I wanted to be a historian, but she forced me to be a political scientist. If I got a B or lower on an assignment, for years until I was 16, she would beat me. She doesn't do is as much now, but I still can remember times I thought she was going to break my wrist from when she grabbed me so hard.

Now, don't get me wrong, she still loves me, I know. She just doesn't know how to express it because her mother never really expressed love to her. In addition, my dad's job takes him away quite a bit, so she had to play both the dad and the mom for me. But I think it's slightly terrifying that if I get a B on a homework that I tend to start mentally flipping out and one time nearly passed out from hyperventilating so much. She says that the reason she's so hard on me is that unlike her, I don't seem to have the determination or drive that she has. And she's right, but that's because my mom is the type of person that would crack the earth in half if you asked her to. I'm a much more relaxed person and I still haven't really figured out what I want to do in life.

She's also extremely critical. I try not to come home much anymore because she always yells at me about my clothes, my makeup, my hair, my nails, my shoes, my weight, etc. She's made me extremely self conscious of myself, which is why I tend to be very sensitive of my work and every detail about myself, such as my spelling. It's why I fear critique, because generally I'm usually being hit when I receive critique. She even didn't like how much time I was spending playing Sun and Moon over winter break rather than doing something productive. So now apparently I'm not going to get anymore Pokémon games ever because I'm so lazy that I don't know when to stop playing them.

My dad is usually the nice guy, but my mom will often twist his arm to make him side with her. He's never really been there for me because his job always takes him elsewhere. And while we've traveled a lot together, I feel like the only bonding we've had is that we usually have beach weeks together and go to see a ton of movies. I love my dad, he gives me lots of presents, but he's just never there to protect me when I need him to be.

[ant2011]

My father has always worked. Hell, he's working three jobs now to pay for his new batch of kids. When he's not working he's always angry and drinking. He's a borderline alcoholic with anger issues. One time when he got mad at me sticks out the most, I was young and not picking up my toys fast enough and so he grabbed my by the collar of my shirt and hollered at me until I wet myself out of fear which only made it worse. To this day when people grab my shirt collar I freeze up.

My mother is a micromanaging maniac hoarder. We've got bins and tubs full of **** that she doesn't know about. If she tells you to do something you damn well better do it right away or else you're in for a guilt trip like no other. She "borrows" money from family a lot and then "forgets" to repay it. I think she owes me well over $100, but tries to say that buying me lunch now and then has paid it off. She apparently loves being in debt because she's still got credit card debt from before I was born.

They couldn't afford a babysitter for me when I was in kindergarten and first grade so they would pack the house key in my backpack and leave me some food on the table for when I came home from school. That was fun though, getting to watch Toonami with some cheez-its and capri sun. Of course, nowadays they'd be in a lot of trouble if anyone found out.

They're not good role models

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

I get on really well with my parents, so I'm pretty lucky. My mum is amazing! My parents split up when I was 18 and she worked really hard, after being a stay at home mum for many years, to afford a nice house and clothes and food and everything for me and my younger brothers. She is the most supportive and nicest person as well.

My dad is a little odd but he loves us a lot. I've recently realised he is probably somewhere on the autism spectrum as he isn't great socially or understanding/having emotions, but he is very successful at his job and hobbies. He's a lot of fun though and I always feel really calm when I'm with him in new situations (like travelling around Europe!) which is awesome cos I'm usually a stresshead. xD He could have done more for my mum and us when my parents split up, especially since my mum didn't push for much in the divorce. But he has always been really stingy about money. He's gotten better since my parents split up which really makes me kinda sad cos if he had done the same things he does now for his girlfriend (not yelling at her when she bought a $3 coffee while out of the house instead of making one at home, not getting annoyed when we put too much jam on a sandwich or use too much toilet paper, and actually going out somewhere where it costs money, etc.), my parents would probably still be together. I'm not too sad about it though cos I know my mum is much happier these days. But it has complicated our lives a lot and it'll only get more annoying as we grow up and have families of our own. We already have to deal with my dad's girlfriend... but that's another story. xD

[Bulbasaur]

My parents do a lot for me, but often they can be terrible, too. I don't tend to blame them too much, because I was a nightmare as a kid. In first grade, I had the worst night of my life. I don't remember the details, but tried to run away. I didn't have the balls to actually leave my parents behind, so eventually I ended up in my room. I think my mom had to restrain me because I was screaming, crying, and kicking. Somewhere in the mess, my dad gave me a hard punch. My mom never admits that happened to this day.

My dad can get really angry, really easily. The worst part is my mom NEVER admits that he is wrong, even when she gets yelled at by him. We have arguments over the dumbest crap. When I was on vacation a few years ago, my dad got mad at me for something small I don't even remember, and it get really intense. I was screaming at him, and loud noises affect his ear a lot, so he threatened to knock me out. I was so angry, so I kept going up to him and screaming. The only thing he did was push me away, though. Eventually I ended up in the bedroom with my mom, who was doing a terrible job of calming me down because she said I was getting mad over nothing (since my dad is perfect (sarcasm)).

It's really strange. They love me, and I know it, but I wonder about some of the things they've done.