Mom and Dad,

I am writing this letter to you because I’d be too pissed off if I was telling it to you directly, and I don’t think you’d listen anyway. You are completely hung up on what’s important to you and the only time you pay any attention to me is when there is a problem. Sure you care about my grades in school, my extra curricula activities, and that I stay away from drugs and drinking, but do you really care about ME?

You are completely clueless as to what is going on in my head.

I am miserable. I am scared and lonely most of the time. Life sucks! I hate school, especially all the frigging pressure you and my teachers pile on me. I already feel like a failure. No matter what I do, it’s never good enough. I get that you care about school, but I couldn’t care less about the future. I am unhappy now, and you are building me an unhappy future!

I don’t even know what’s wrong; I just don’t feel like I belong here. I don’t know if I belong anywhere. I can’t talk to you because all you care about is what you want for me, you couldn’t care less about what I want. Hello, it’s my life. The only time I am happy is with my friends, and even with them, I am not comfortable all the time. I have to watch what I say and do because I am afraid that they’ll think I am not cool. We have so much stuff we have to do; there is not enough time in the day to just hang out with them. We are so stressed. You keep nagging me about all the time I spend texting and on the computer, but those are the only times I am connecting with my friends. I am alone. I hate my life.

Were you ever a teenager? You don’t have a clue what it’s like for me. I am ugly, I am not popular; I don’t feel confident; I don’t fit in.

I need you to listen to what I am saying and actually care about it. I am so confused sometimes. You give me solutions that don’t work for me. I got to find my own way.
What is it all about? I don’t think you know. You are not happy either. Why should I listen to you? Your life is as bad as mine.

I need to speak with someone who would really hear me and not just try to fix me. One of my friends at least has an uncle, every time she has a problem she calls him up. It is so cool to have an adult who treats your problems like they are real.

I just want to be happy. Do you hear me?

Your Child