Dear mother

Dear Mom,
Just let me grow up. I need to grow and although you don’t like it, eventually I have to. It’s really hard to be a pre-teen and I’d appreciate it if you could not put so much pressure on me. The reason I don’t enjoy hanging out with you as much anymore is because every time I do, an uncomfortable subject comes up. School, boys, clothes, etc; something that we disagree on. You expect me to be perfect and get angry when I don’t want to be. You say that you know I could do better, but have you ever been me? The expectations that you place upon me are excruciating and don’t help me live up to “my potential”. It just makes it worse because I am so afraid about disappointing you. I hate the words expectation, try, and, potential. I know you weren’t perfect, I know you made mistakes in life. Think about my sister, didn’t you think she was a mistake, wasn’t she an accident? Well, look at how well that turned out. She is know a model person, straight A’s, friends, good college application. Maybe my mistakes, my unused potential, will turn out like that. Like the way you want it to be.
Love,
Your daughter