Yeesh.
So I told my parents about the cruise. Dad found out back during Thanksgiving break and didn't have a problem with it. Mom found out a few days ago and hasn't done anything crazy, but isn't pleased. She's worried about me driving all the way down to Miami and getting on the boat and cruises aren't safe and all the things my mom worries about. Then Dad started freaking out, not about the cruise, but about missing a week of school. He's not satisfied with my, "I'll handle it" attitude. He wants a plan now.
These fears would be very easily answered by, "I managed it last time." But they don't know about last time. And...you know what? They weren't bothered by last time. No worries. No hesitation. No freaking out because...omg!what if Erin doesn't graduate on time?! It will ruin all the plans...oh, wait...there aren't any plans.
The problem is that their trust in me is put in the wrong areas. As it stands, they trust me to be at school and to respect their authority. They don't trust me to be independent outside of the dorm setting or drive more than thirty minutes (seriously, I had to take Dad's GPS with me to go to Marietta). But the only way to counter this argument is to tell them of the trips I've taken without mentioning. Greenville, Erskine, Asheville...Ft. Lauderdale. And I'm not that stupid.
Thankfully, my mom's answer to all of this is not talking about it. I can dig that.
These fears would be very easily answered by, "I managed it last time." But they don't know about last time. And...you know what? They weren't bothered by last time. No worries. No hesitation. No freaking out because...omg!what if Erin doesn't graduate on time?! It will ruin all the plans...oh, wait...there aren't any plans.
The problem is that their trust in me is put in the wrong areas. As it stands, they trust me to be at school and to respect their authority. They don't trust me to be independent outside of the dorm setting or drive more than thirty minutes (seriously, I had to take Dad's GPS with me to go to Marietta). But the only way to counter this argument is to tell them of the trips I've taken without mentioning. Greenville, Erskine, Asheville...Ft. Lauderdale. And I'm not that stupid.
Thankfully, my mom's answer to all of this is not talking about it. I can dig that.
posted by Erin @ 1:11 AM
4 Comments:
At 11:19 AM, December 24, 2007 ,
the queen said...
Are you SURE she's upset about the cruise? Sounds to me like she's upset you didn't talk to her about it, so she's not talking to you about it.
Of course, I was married and 25 when I drove to Dallas from Saint Louis and you would have thought I was taking the Space Shuttle.
The only fix for parental worry is communication. They still worry, but it isn't as bad if you call and say "I'm in Tulsa now" "I'm in Texas now" "I'm in Dallas now, yes I'm calling from the gas station, I;m not driving and using my cell."
At 12:22 PM, December 24, 2007 ,
Erin said...
My mother has an anxiety problem. Disorder, according to her therapist. She's upset because she's going to have to worry about everything. Did I remember my passport? What if the boat sinks? What if my car breaks down? What if a laser ray from Russia bounces off the moon and melts the polar ice caps and floods Florida while I'm staying on Miami beach?
She doesn't like us to go places because she worries. She'll admit this. She's just recently allowed me to go buy things at the grocery store when she needs them, rather than go out. If she's upset because I didn't ask, it's because she would have wanted to remind me that she doesn't think it's a good idea. Granted, last year it was a terrible idea on paper, but I was driven by the novelty of concept.
But as it stands, I'm glad she's not talking about it. And you're so right about calling, because my mother won't call me out of fear that I won't answer the phone.
At 1:57 AM, December 25, 2007 ,
the queen said...
Oh, well then. Good for you for coping.
At 11:11 PM, December 25, 2007 ,
Andrew Mills said...
Speaking of trips, I take it you didn't end up going to Nashville?
And I can understand your mom, but I don't get why your dad's freaking out about a week of school all of the sudden. It's, you know...a week. What kind of 'plan' could you possibly come up with?
Anyway, cool that they're mostly cool with it.
Merry Christmas! Hope to see you before I go back to PDX.
--Andrew
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