No matter how much we love our parents, we all have complaints against their slightly overbearing attitude. If you ever tried convincing your parents to send you camping, you know what we mean. From petty arguments about sleepovers with friends, to “serious” disagreements about which stream to choose in eleventh grade, there must have been times in your life when you wondered why Indian parents are so overprotective. This is a light-hearted attempt to explain why India parents are so….well, ‘not cool’.
- They love you immensely:It is true what they say about love. Too much of it can sometimes be suffocating. Unlike in other parts of the world, in India children spend at least a quarter of their life with their parents. This leads to deeper parent-child bonds here. Though that is indeed beautiful, parents might sometimes forget that children need to fall in order to fly.
- They care for your safety:News reports of increasing crime rate are enough reason for Indian parents to worry about their children’s safety. This is the reason behind that inevitable ‘no’ to all your outing requests. Though this is frustrating, you must understand that your parents are playing the ‘rules-and-strictness’ game for your own safety.
- They were brought up similarly:We all emulate our parent’s actions. So is the case with your parents. Remember that your parents too were kids once, and that they too lived by the same rules and curfews. Maybe they are still following the same rules. Why not?
- They try to protect you from the mistakes they made:It goes without saying that your parents have more experience with life than you do. They too went through the same phases that you are going through now. There must have been a time when they too preferred parties to study-hours. They too must have failed hard, and learnt from those missteps.This is why they wish to clear the path for you. They want you to benefit from those hard-earned lessons of their failures and mistakes.
- They try to do what’s best for your future:Their experience with life and failure must have taught invaluable lessons to your parents. As their heirs, you naturally inherit these lessons for living a good life. Understanding that your parents only wish everything that’s best for you shifts your perspective and helps you better appreciate your parents’ motives.After all,intention is often more important than the action itself.
- They may not understand your version of the story:Though your parents were children once, the conditions that they lived in as kids changed drastically since. As children of today, you are a part of a digital, global village. You will be facing entirely different challenges from your parents’ time. This is why it is important for you to talk to your parents and help them see things from your perspective.
Generation gap is not a new phenomenon. In a world of constant flux, it is not only inevitable, but also necessary as it represents progress. With a little patience and some love, it is not too hard for you to seal a convivial bond with your parents, without compromising on your dreams. Why do you think Indian parents tend to be overprotective? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.