Sorry

         Since I was young, my parents have expected a lot from me. They expect me to have straight A’s, no red stamps, and basically to be ¨perfect¨. I remember this one time in 8th grade, I had an A- in my English class and I was afraid to tell my parents because I thought I was going to get in trouble. And this other time I got a tardy, I started crying because I thought my mom would get mad. I would stress myself out so much because I thought if I did this or that I would get my parents mad. For every little mistake i made, i felt like a failure, like I wasn’t good enough. Until last year, I started asking myself what was the point of trying so hard, and why my parents pushed me so much. Then I asked my parents about their childhood and their past and realized that they push me to be the best I can be because they wanted me to do everything they couldn’t and to have a successful life. They told me about how they grew up with little education, how they wished they spoke English, and had good careers. Another thing I realized was that my parents thought they had failed with my two older siblings because they would always get into trouble and my brother, although he was really intelligent, decided to not attend college. I don’t think there is such thing as “perfect” and if there is, then I think everyone is perfect in their own way. After this realization, I still work hard and try my best in everything I do. I have a stronger bond with my parents and I’m more open with them about my struggles and errors. I ask for their help and advice. In the end what’s important is that you put your all into everything you do and that you are happy.