Five years ago, I graduated from high school. I felt like I was finally free of the rules that parents enforced while I was in school. Example of my parents rules are no playing till after homework is done and curfew on school nights. After all, I just finished twelve years of school and deserved some reward. My parents had different views about the changes of rules after school. High school was over, and my parents still were enforcing rules that I thought only apply while I was in school.
The day of graduation, I walked across the stage and received my diploma. I was walking to my car thinking to myself, “I graduated high school.” About that time my friend stopped to tell me about a party later that night at the head cheerleader house. The party would start around 8:00 p.m. and everybody was invited. I was thrilled to hear it and looking forward to staying out all-night. No school to go to the next day there would be any reason I could not. When I got home, I told my parents about the party. I taught I was going to stay there for the whole night.
When I pulled up to the house, the place was packed with the graduating class. I talked to people about the things we had done in school. I talked to my close friends about their plans after high school. This was not a regular party but more of a celebration that school was over. I danced most of the night and talked the other half of the night. I was having a great time when I got a page on my pager. It was my parents calling me. I called home to see what they wanted and my answered the phone. I said, “What can I do for you?”, my mom said “It was 1:30 in the morning and I had to be home.”
What was the reason I had to be home’she wanted me home in the next fifteen minutes. I sat down in the floor thinking for what reasons I had to be home. The party was still going and nobody else had to leave but me. I desired to stay because I just finished high school and this was the party to celebrate. I was real upset at my parents for making me come home and having a curfew on graduation night. Besides, the party was not over and I did not want to leave.
I didn’t understand my parents making me leave and would not until later in life. That whole night I was angry with my parents for making me leave the party. Expect my parent’s 2:00 a.m. curfew there was no reason for me to come home. It would be about two years before I understood why my parents wanted me home that night. I realized there was no reason to be out that late except for a special event. Staying at the head cheerleader’s house was not a good reason after all I had been there since 8:00 that night. My parents just wanted me to be safe and out of trouble. They cared about me, and I could not see that the night of graduation.
I really understood what my parents wanted for me that night. If I had been more mature that night to see, I would have had no problem coming home. I guess the rules that your parents make are for the best. Besides, they are probably the same rules their parents made them to follow. It would take me a little growing up to understand that.
