House

I don’t usually post stuff on here that’s too complicated. I like to keep what I think to myself usually. But stuff has happened that’s forcing me to reflect more than I usually do. This is a good thing.

I don’t really understand the concept of moving out of your parents’ house. I used to think that it was a logical step, with the whole bit about asserting your independence. But now that i’ve matured a little (debatable) I’ve come to think that it’s a pretty ridiculous idea. My parents, like many others sacrificed a very large portion of their life to make sure that I was happy in every conceivable way.

Leaving them seems like a form of betrayal. I’ve had this conversation with my friends and a lot of them see living with their parents as a burden when they’re older. How is that a burden in any possible way? If anything I feel privileged that i’ll have the opportunity to serve my parents in their old age. That will genuinely make me happy. Not only is it a privilege, but it’s a responsibility that I will gladly take. When I was born into my family, I took on the responsibility of being a son. This isn’t just a label that you’re born with. It’s something you earn. A son has the responsibility of maintaining respect for your parents, learning from and with your parents, understanding your parents, and preparing for eventual servitude of your parents.

And since when did asserting your independence mean you had to “move out”? Affirmation of independence isn’t achieved through the process of moving out, it’s achieved by reaching a state of mind where you no longer depend on your parents to make every decision in your life. If you can take care of yourself, whoever you’re with, your children AND your parents, then you’ve effectively affirmed your independence.

A lot of people complain that you don’t necessarily have the same level of privacy if you’re living with your parents as opposed to living on your own. I’m sorry, but my parents never complained when I crapped my pants and they had to clean it, when they moved through 3 countries when they were looking out for me, cook meals for me every single day without missing a beat, making sure I had the best education, paying for my education, counseling me through my relatively insignificant problems, adoring me, and basically making me the focus of their life. If you can’t handle losing a bit of privacy to care for someone who’s devoted so much of their life to you, then you don’t deserve them. The meaning of life is to make a difference in somebody else’s life. That includes your parents.

If you haven’t met my mom. She is cute as hell.