Parents

Parents. This word alone can cause many teenagers to sigh. Most, if not all teenagers simply detest their parents. They do not hate their parents to the point that they want to run away from home. Instead, their feelings and emotions can be accurately described as annoyed, bored, tired, and embarrassed. We simply cannot understand why our parents are so boring, old, ancient, and annoying. Do not forget their outdated fashion taste.

First and foremost, parents simply cannot stop nagging their children. They find so many faults in us teenagers. The number one priority would be cleanliness. “Why is your room so dirty?”. Well, I do not think my room is dirty. At least it is cleaner than my brother’s room. But wait! My parents are walking towards my cupboard. Once they open it, they start complaining again. “What kind of clothes are these?”. Once again, I have to justify myself while facing this onslaught of criticism. Even Simon Cowell would be proud with my parents. Apparently, they have something Simon calls the “it” factor. My friends and I have a special attribute Randy Jackson calls the “yo” factor. What about Paula Abdul? She’s just there to warm the middle seat.

The next item in my checklist would be boredom. Many parents cannot stop talking about their past. They will describe in detail, with demonstrations included, on how they washed their clothes manually. Whenever they walk past a car, they will say, “We couldn’t even afford a car last time!”. When they spot ice cream vendors, they will begin to tell how rarely they ate ice cream in the past. Well, who do you suppose is washing her/his designer clothes in the new washing machine? Who’s driving that Lamborghini? Who’s finishing that tub of ice cream as we watch TV? Our parents.

Our parents also come with an in-built antenna for finding opportunities to embarrass us. They will interrupt your shopping marathon by asking you to buy that flowery dress designed for kids. Maybe they will even grab a box set of Enid Blyton’s fairy tales at the bookstore. What about calling out your nickname loudly in a supermarket? As they get older, the in-built antenna will only continue to be upgraded into more annoying versions. Therefore, make sure you enjoy your life in the early stages of your life.

In this modern era of globalization, the advance of technology has brought wonders to our life. Meet Friendster, MySpace, You Tube, Google, and Veoh. No, these are not our friends from outer space. These are websites which have become best friends with each and every teenager who has access to the Internet. Unfortunately, our parents are clueless when it comes to computers.

“Why can’t I open my email account?”
“You haven’t typed the password.”
“Why is the Internet so slow?”
“You chose dial-up instead of broadband.”
“Why can’t I print this document?”
“Did you turn on the printer?”
“Do I left, right, single, or double click?”
The writer faints in frustration.

Oh, sorry….just taking a “break”. Back to the topic; parents can also transform into clueless beings when talking with teenagers. When you ask them to get your Dolce and Gabbana bag, they will ask you why you said “Don’t say and get better.”. A simple remark such as “Cool…” will be replied with “Why do you want to drool?”. It seems as if they need hearing aids or a dictionary. Unfortunately, we live on their allowance, food, and supervision. Any attempts to correct them would be marked as “rude, blatant, and intolerable”.

Our parents can never stop comparing us with our peers. “Look at him/her. He/she got a string of A’s in his/her exam? What about you?”. I would love to reply by saying that they cheated in the exams but this would invoke a huge-scale drama. Occasionally, they compare you with your cousins. “Look at him! He’s studying overseas on a scholarship! When are you going to do that?”. Why do our parents never seem to realise that studying overseas causes money to flow out of the country? In addition, getting the damned scholarship seems impossible because of WHO I AM, not WHAT I ACHIEVED.

Frankly speaking, each and every human has his/her faults. Thankfully, I have a great mother. In fact, she’s more youthful, talkative, friendly, cheerful, “sporting” than me. Have you met a lady who is half a century old yet chatters like a kindergarten kid? Meet my mother. She watches Korean dramas every night. She sings along to Maroon 5 songs. She listens to FlyFm, not Light and Easy! And yes, she dances along to the new Korean show on 8TV! She does not hesitate to yell “He’s so cute!” whenever a good looking actor appears on the television. Even when my father is next to her. My mother banishes my father to the older television just so that she can watch reruns of Ugly Betty. Yes, we have the DVD of Season 1. On the other hand, my father is the old fashioned, computer-clueless, boring parent. When I grow up, which one of them will I follow? What a headache. Parents.