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Can you really tell your parents what to do


 The Debate over who can tell who what to do

R.P.O.V. Counter point to “Telling your parents what to do”

 

Two problems tend to present themselves when you find yourself in the position of having to tell your parents what to do:

1)     They may only do the portions THEY want to do

2)     They don’t think YOU should be telling them anything

 

Therein lies the debate.

 

The first part lies in the difficulty in telling anyone what to do who have historically told you what to do.  If you grew up in a household where you were raised to respect your parents, having tell your parents to do anything can be a nightmare.    You are already conditioned to respect them so you may feel like telling them to do something is disrespectful.  In addition, they also feel that you are not in the position to tell them what to do since you are their child.  So, when faced with this reality, it becomes difficult.

 

The second part lies in how they view you.  Parents will always view their children through the lens of being a parent.  Even when the child is an expert in a particular field of endeavor, there may be, in some circumstances, a reluctances to truly accept everything your child says about a particular topic.  As such, this makes accepting what your child says more difficult not because you do not believe them but because you still view them as a child.

 

Other issues that arise is independence.   Your parents have been independent longer than you have been alive.  As such, they invariably will believe that they are the best person to make a decision about a specific situation even when they are not.  

 

But the hardest part is the fight the urge to NOT say something.  Sometimes, it takes strength to tell your loved one something they need to hear even though they are not going to want to hear it, simply because YOU said it.  That reality is magnified ten fold when you are dealing with your parents.  Your parents have been active fixture of your life for a long time and you know how they respond to things. Once you are in the position of telling your parents what they need to do, you already know how they are going to respond.   Unfortunately, the path of least resistance is simply to NOT say anything.  However, you know this is NOT good for them and not good for you.  So, unfortunately, the natural desire to NOT say anything may be the best choice for your own peace of mind.

 

The harsh reality is that reaching that point in your life where you are going to have to tell your parents what to do comes with some powerful facts.  And those facts are ones you must choose to accept or not accept.  

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