I’ve never blamed my mother for being strict.

In fact, I’ve come to appreciate her tight rules and no-nonsense attitude she inherited from my grandmother. Is it irritating to get a ten-minute lecture after making a joke that might have been a little risqué or dark? Of course, always has been and always will. But it was thanks to my mother’s dictatorial personality that I’ve come to be the respectful and responsible lady I am today. I never went to parties that happened past midnight, I never touched an electronic device until my studying was done and my bedtime was always nine o’clock sharp, I was upgraded to ten when I entered high school.

What I don’t think kids my age understand is that our parents can be strict, but it’s because they love us. They don’t want us to grow up just to end up living in a cardboard box without any money or food. I’ve seen too many times examples of what happens when parents are too lenient. Kids go out drinking at parties, let their grades drop and argue constantly with the adults around them.

It’s sad to see because if it goes on for too long, even the parents won’t be able to fix what they’ve started. I’ve seen students yell at teachers with little to no consequence because their parents were quick to believe that their kid was innocent. My mother only has the best interests for me, and her ridiculing is so I can go to a good college and get a nice job and live a comfortable life doing the things I enjoy.

Not once has she yelled at me just to be loud, every word she screamed at me had a meaning she wanted to teach me. Thanks to her, I hope to one day stand out among others as an educated, behaved and reasonable student. This is what she has taught me ever since I was old enough to learn. When you’re sitting in your room, simmering over an argument you’ve had with your parents, remember that in the end, all they want is for you to be happy and live a fulfilling life.