She doesn't make you, you just learned to respect your parents and understand the things that make them worry. That is what this girl apparently lacked (as did the "dad"), respect for her parents. Though, maybe that was the dad's way of coping with not screaming at her too...I could give him that benefit of the doubt.Lachlan wrote:Yes, and a parent's job is to allow kids to make mistakes and learn from them while preventing them from making the fatal ones. Example: learning to "swim" in the backyard pool. No matter what age, a parent is always a parent and will always (with a few exceptions) feel it necessary to try to protect their offspring from making fatal mistakes. Even though I'm 35 years old my mom always makes me call her when I leave on a long drive and again when I get when where I'm going.Razia wrote:She probably would have learned something very important, just wouldnt live long enough to exercise that newfound knowledge.
There is a huge difference between obeying your parents and respecting their wishes and concern. At 18, she should have by then realized their concern, but really..at 18, we do get caught up in that moment. We like to have fun, unfortunately much of that fun can come with dire consequences. Yes, she was lucky that nothing bad happened, that this internet boy wasn't an officer trying to catch unlawful people, or worse, the unlawful people themselves. No, not EVERY person on the internet is a 'bad apple', but every person needs to use a bit of caution.
That being said, the parents have had 18 years to instill respect into their daughter, and hopefully that good kind of caution. When I was 18, my mother knew everything. It got to the point that I wouldn't say anything until I was walking out the door and I would say, "oh yeah, I'm heading to see this movie, it starts at this time and I should be around by this time, but my friends have a cell phone, so I'll call if something comes up, bye!" She didn't care because I would call, and I usually came home when I said I would. I respected the fact that even though she knew I was going to be home around midnight because of a late showing of a movie, and could rest easy knowing I stayed out of trouble with my friends, I knew that she wouldn't be able to fully sleep until I was in the house. Its a parental thing...my grandmother is the same way. I understand and respect it. Even though I am not yet a parent myself, I still understand that same concern. I'm sure when I finally have children, I won't be able to fully sleep until I know they are at least under my roof (where hopefully they will be safe).
We can't protect them from everything. They do need to learn from their own experiences. We understand how bad drunken driving can be. We see the crashes, we see the effect it has had on people physically and emotionally, but we don't really *get* it until it happens to someone within our immediate (or someone that feels like immediate) family or ourselves. It just doesn't completely sink in. Humans naturally like to believe that they are the exception, that nothing that bad will happen to them. We are egoistic and stupid (difference from brave).
Yes, the girl had an experience. It didn't go bad...hopefully with the reaction from her parents after the video was turned off and they are able to sit down and talk without jokes from "dad", she would be able to understand the concern her parents have for her and her well-being....hopefully.
If she were my daughter, if she wants to say she's an adult, she could then take adult responsibilities: paying for a third of the bills (assuming its just 3 in the household), paying for her car, her gas (unless she's running an errand for me), her internet bill (or a third of that since it would prolly be under a bundle plan and I would use the internet too), her phone bill, etc. Everything SHE uses, SHE will have to pay for or help pay for. My mother gave me this deal when I finished high school, and she would be held accountable for the same: either you go to college, military, or get a job and help out with bills.