The past few days have really made me wonder what is more important the Happiness of those we love or our own happiness? Is it right to sacrifice own happiness for the one’s we love? Especially if they have done a lot for us? Like our parents who give us unconditional love……..some even place parents right next to God. After all parents give us life just as God and especially a mother who goes through so much of pain to give birth to us. Can a mother not ask us for just about anything and are we right to deny her that?
Some of us have strained relationships with our parents; we think that our parents brought up us the wrong way. We bear resentment against it and pray that we are never so ‘cruel’ to our children…..he he!!! But how can parents be cruel what they do is for our ‘good’, ‘our well-being’, after all we mean a lot to them, whether they are able to express it or not……and their methods can be wrong but their intention never is. If only we children could understand that, we will listen to our parents more and be better people.
Will we be really? After all we might have some flaws but which human is perfect? We all dislike some of our ‘characteristics’ but aren’t we mostly happy with the way we are. Are we not satisfied with the way we have grown up to be? Are we not proud of the individuals we have become? I know I am…….I have a lot of flaws……..but when I step outside I know people around me like me for certain things, they even admire me at times. This is more than I can ask for. And I must say that I wouldn’t have been possibly this good had it not been for my parents.
Having said all this I come back to the question that at the end of the day who should have the say when it comes to important decisions of our life? Like what do we study? What we choose as our profession? Whom do we marry? Should we leave the decision to our parents who have so selflessly done so much for us or should we ourselves decide these things? We who have grown up to be responsible, good, rational human beings? Have our parents not raised us with the confidence to trust us to make the right choices? Have parents not made us responsible enough to make our own mistakes and learn through them? Yes, they are being protective, they do not want us to be hurt but are we not getting hurt even when we are not allowed to do what we want? Are we not getting hurt when we feel that they are not trusting us enough to make the right choices?
This is an endless debate parents will always be able to justify themselves and so will the children. It has happened through generations and will continue. However, it’s good to realize that the parents and the children are both striving for the same goal, even though the means are different.
I would like to ask my readers what they think, who in their opinion should be the one to make the crucial decisions of their lives? They themselves or their parents?
