The Never-Ending Saga of “By the Time I Realized My Mother was Right, My Daughter Was Standing in Front of Me Saying I Was Wrong.”

Recently something happened that changed my perspective on life. As usual, it was nothing big, but being a sensitive person, I took it to heart. I have always behaved with people the way I wanted to be treated. And mind you, many are irritated with me. It also makes me take a step back and give it a good thought as to whether I am doing it all correctly. Nonetheless, sometimes I don’t give up, although I do not have the energy left in me to argue.

A few months back, I met with a girl, and we immediately clicked. She, too, wants to become an author of a book-slash-books. So, I remind her from time to time about writing something, and she keeps delaying it. One day, we both got into a lighter argument about this, and she said, “It is my call to make when to write something and when to not. You can’t force me to do anything.”

It deeply hurt me. I was just looking out for her. All I had in my mind was good intentions, and I didn’t like the way she retorted. But I had it coming because she is a headstrong personality and has been like this since childhood. She speaks her mind and is very open about what she thinks. Unlike me, well, not unlike me; but she does have a brain of her own, and I know it is going to bite her in the ass sooner as it has bitten me.

But somehow, when I think back about it, I did not feel too bad about her rude behavior because she is a little younger than me, and my intentions were for her well-being. This made me think of all the times my parents have pushed me to do something, and I have retorted. All they have in mind is my well-being, and all they want to do is to prepare me for life.

I hated it when my mum used to push me too hard to learn to drive a car, but that skill comes in handy now. I even go out in the middle of the night without being scared and without being cold. I am not dependent on anyone like I did before, and people respect me a little more. I know this has nothing to do with me driving a car, but still, it affects me.

I hated it when my dad pushed me to get a driver’s license because I was scared to go for the test. But now that I have got the permit, I feel confident and happy. Not about driving; that is a sure thing, but it is so helpful whenever I have to apply for something like a credit card or open a Demat account. I couldn’t be more grateful because it helps hasten any government process.

Again, when I think about my life, I don’t think I was wrong either. It is good to have your own voice, which is why after I gave a good thought to the situation, I understood her side as well. Writing a book cannot be planned well in advance. Well, it can be but not when you write for yourself. I mean, I totally understand that one cannot write at the same speed as others, but when he/she does, they produce quality content. Not that the ones who mass-produce books are bad writers, but the quality is essential too.

And after writing one book and publishing it, there is a chance that she will write a second book quicker than the previous one. Sometimes, a person has a story in mind, but the experience of publishing it comes from publishing previous works. What I learned from the whole incident was no one was wrong here. She was right in her own way, and so was I. This helps me understand my parents and everyone who is my well-wishers.

Now I have started understanding my parents’ POV towards me, and have also decreased the density with which I rebelled. That doesn’t mean I agree with each and everything they say, but I do not outrightly reject its possibility. Giving it a good thought, not only makes me think about things differently, but it makes me feel good about myself. It makes me feel I have become older and wiser than I was, yesterday.

I hope someday I get to see this girl thinking like that too. After all, I am not her enemy. I am just someone who wishes for her to publish the book more quicker than I did. If I had gotten someone like me, I would have published my first book at 15.

XOXO