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February 8, 2009
The Ellie Zone - The Enigma That Is Called "Parent"
WARNING!!! Beyond this line lies...
The Ellie Zone
This place is wrought with horror and emotion! Enter at the risk of your sanity...
Recently I saw the movie Coraline. If any of you have read the book, it's worth watching. If you haven't read the book, it's still worth watching.
Anyway. The basic moral of that story is that no matter how evil or cruel you think your parents are, they still love you. And they are better than anything in the world.
That is my topic for today.
I have two amazing and wonderful parents—Mom and Dad (please laugh). Mom is the boss. She takes care of everyone, and basically runs the house. She is the rulebook that keeps us all in line. Now, this is a very difficult job. If you have ever heard of "tough love", this is why it was made:
the rule book's job is to do two things—to raise you with an unconscious set of rules that you are never to break, and to add some very important morals on the side. Of course, with every rule comes enforcement (that's the hard part).
To enforce anything you have to be really mean. Now, I'm not taking about breaking arms or throwing punches. I'm talking about scolding and some very harsh words (but hopefully not obscenities). This is always as painful for the parents as it is for the children. Although all this is not very believable to most kids, trust me: you'll understand when you're a parent.
You see, a person's child is like a part of themselves. They never want to part with that child, but they also want to make the child better than they ever were. With most people this is very simple. It comes naturally. But with some people, the entire concept confuses them, and they make horrible mistakes. These are the bad parents. They aren't doing it on purpose. They just don't know what to do.
My other parent is Dad (hahahaha...ha...ha...ha?). He is the "other", at least in my family. Whenever you have a problem, you usually go to Mom. Whenever you need help with your homework, you go to Dad. ... I sometimes wonder if homework is more annoying...
Anyway. Dad is the "other parent." He's the one that is rarely ever mean (unless you were raised by two rulebooks). He's the one you idolize. And if he's really good (like mine), you wish you could be like him. Basically, he's the one that spoils you.
That's why Mom is in charge.
You all probably know about how last year Mom and I went to North Dakota for her preaching internship. Before that, the family had a meeting, and we all decided if we would stay or go. This is when being emotionally numb helps. It lets me think rationally.
I decided to go, because if I stayed I was sure Dad would spoil me to the point Mom's rulebook wouldn't matter anymore. It ended up being a good decision because, being the youngest child, I got Mom all to myself for the very first time.
Oh yeah. It was great.
What I think I'm trying to say here is that each parent is a little different. But overall there are three types:
- the rulebooks
- the confused ones, and
- the "others"
So the next time you find yourself hating your parents, just remember. No matter what, if they weren't who they were, you wouldn't be you. And you like being you, right?
Smile,
Ellie the Gremlin
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