Parents

Curtis Sittenfeld has touched on an issue to which I'm sure nearly every teenager may relate. Parents. No matter who you are, how old your are, how rich you are, blah, blah, blah...
everyone has disagreed with their parents. Some more than others, but the point remains the same. Teenagers conflict with the adults that they are raised by. During the teenage years, we want to be looked on as people, adults, no longer small children who may be ordered and overlooked. We want to be seen, heard, noticed and appreciated.

I'd like to reference a quote from the movie, The Breakfast Club. Brian, the stereo-typical nerd, says he has the same displeasure with his parents as anyone else.

"Well every one's home lives are un-satisfying..."

All of the students feel as if they are in constant conflict with their parents. Maybe that's how it is for all of us. We all struggle to separate ourselves from our parents as they struggle to hold on. We are different from them and for some adults, it takes them a while to realize and accept this.

Lee feels frustration with her parents because they are completely unaware of the structure of social classes and etiquette at Ault. They act normally, which Lee views as the problem. Her parents, especially her father, do not believe that they are "below" anyone at the school. They act as though they are at a picnic with people who are not ultimately prone to judging others based on their appearance and the size of their paycheck. I may be making a very large generalization, but this is Lee's view point. She wants her parents to drop their heads and act as submissively as she does to preserve what little social status she has. Her father went so far as to call her Flea, her childhood nickname in front of her roommante, Martha. FLEA! Really?

When she confronts her father about his casual attitude among people of higher social statuses, he becomes enraged. He says that he is ashamed of her and does not know what has happened to his daughter. Lee is slapped across the face by him and will carry his sharp words in her mind for the rest of her life. She is not, however, convinced that she is wrong. Lee sees the hidden rules of conduct that exist when social classes mix. I hate to say it but I almost agree. I do not believe such standards should exist but they are there. Lower classes don't act as though they are best friends with the upper class when they first meet. People can't act as if they've known someone forever when they've never spoken to them. Lower classes are expected to either admire the members of the upper class or hate them. They must act meekly or scornful. Just because. Personally, I refuse to follow these rules. No one is above me nor is anyone below me.

I know I've just ranted through a lot of topics and accusations. I hope anyone reading has been able to follow or even understand. The gist is, teenagers and adults are not the same. Adults want us to act like adults but they still treat us like children. We're confused! What do they want from us? Now that is a question I'd love to hear answered.