The Sometimes Annoying Love of Parents

Is it just me going through my normal period of weirdness or is it something that the average developing teenager seems to feel; parents can be very annoying? I have pondered this question in my mind with no definite answer coming to solve this difficult question, to me it seems like one of those difficult maths equation I had to solve in secondary school and for the life of me I just never was able to get any of them right.

I love my parents very much don’t misunderstand me but sometimes I just feel like throwing a tantrum because of their lack of understanding. This is no longer the 90s which is the era of most of our parents so one would expect that they would have adapted to the new social-cultural developments that has taken place since the time of their birth. Take for example I can’t understand why parents would go on harping and harping about how you were sent to school to read your books and get good grades and not to socialize and make friends. Jeez that is just like killing the real me and turning me into some genius robot machine that goes to school, gets school work done and then come back home only to repeat the same routine the next day. In school, most of us had to sit through some of those boring inspirational talks given by some odd looking person who seemed to be wearing a coat rather than a suit. In my mind back then while I was in secondary school I used to think sarcastically that if these people followed half of their own advice then maybe their life would be better and they won’t have to go around schools spilling what they think people need to hear to make a living (no personal vendetta against motivational speaker but at least if you are going to motivate someone, you could try and dress the part). 

Well during one of those seemingly boring talks, one thing I was able to learn is the fact that the friends you make today will go a long way in determining some of your future prospects. So here I am being taught one thing in school and dad is going on and on about how I should face my books only. Really I understand that he is coming from the point that I may end up making bad friends but at the same time if I don’t get to socialize and have experiences, doesn’t that just mean that I may end up making the wrong choices when I am on my own? 

Another bone of contention between me and my parents is the issue of my first love; my phone. Parents don’t seem to understand what their children could be doing on their mobile phones all day long. Anytime any of my parents tell me of my addiction to my phone, I usually remember a tweet I once came across on Twitter that read thus ‘Dad you should be glad I am addicted to my phone and not smoking, mum you should be happy I love my phone instead of too much girls.’ It sounds hilarious but I am sure you telling your parents that will probably earn you a good spanking (if your are the type that your parents still spank). One favourite line of Dad is that addiction to the phone keeps me from my books but what I don’t understand is the fact that I am not flunking any of my courses so whats the issue? I know I would find it awkward talking to dad all day long so why can’t they just let me text and chat with my friends all day long instead.

Then comes my laziness (laughing out loud ok, maybe I am a little bit guilty of this) but common on, don’t you find it a little bit unfair when your mom screams your name when you are safely tucked in your bed only for you to come downstairs and she asks you to help pick up the remote to the television lying on the TV she is watching? If there seems to be any grumble line on my face, the sermon about how lazy I am starts and I am left to wonder who is really lazy here?

I could go on and on about many more annoying things that parents do complain about but then it would only make them seem like monsters so in the end we all have to come to the conclusion that no matter how horrid our parents may seem at times, there undying love is always there and even while some have gone as far as wanting their parents dead or if it’s just the crazy thought that we all have of running away from home, there is no denying the fact that we love them and they love us just as much in return. I know for instance that I could be having a pissed of moment with my dad and then I realize that I have to ask him for money and the smiles return (wink).      

What do your parents do that sometimes pisses you off?           

Poshkid Gidigenius is a National Diploma holder in Mass Communication from Yaba College of Technology. He currently majors in English at the University of Lagos. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @gidigenius