Being a Parent Has Its Privileges
Parents seem to think it’s their divine right to lecture their children from time to time. Sometimes they’ll simply replay the same recording--”Clean up your room!”--while other times, they will strike an entirely new chord.
Hot Topics wonders, “What do your parents most often lecture you about?”
“Basically I don’t spend enough time at home.”
Thyun Nguyen, 16, sophomore, Kennedy
“Taking my sister to school. I have to take her everywhere.”
Ashley Cappel, 17, senior, Connelly
“Understanding that I have self-worth and that I’m special.”
Mandi Reed, 15, freshman, Los Alamitos
“Integrity. My parents feel they cannot stress this quality enough in my life.”
Donald Crawford, 16, junior, Santa Margarita
“Not doing my homework, wasting my time and beating up on my little brother.”
Tina Chou, 14, freshman, Dana Hills
“Getting my college applications done.”
Joe Joson, 17, senior, Servite
“Responsibility and how they always say don’t make such a big deal out of everything.”
Megan Glasgow, 16, sophomore, Newport Harbor
“Life after high school.”
Jhanelle Heimann, 15, sophomore, Rosary
“Driving safely. Since I’m a beginner in driving, they always think that I’m going to step on the accelerator instead of the brake at a red-light signal.”
Joanne Kim, 16, junior, Fullerton
“About coming home after curfew.”
Liz Gaez, 16, junior, Southern California Christian
“About losing things--money, clothes and related things. Once I parked my car and forgot where it was.”
Shannon Kelley, 17, senior, Woodbridge
“About doing my chores, like emptying the dishwasher and feeding the cat.”
Jackie Kane, 14, freshman, Sonora
“My hair is too long.”
Bryan Kim, 15, sophomore, Villa Park
“My attitude and never spending time with them.”
Jen Craven, 17, senior, Liberty Christian
“ ‘Little Miss Negativity, you have such a bad attitude. I’m so sick of it. Snap out of it or else. You can’t always have it your way. Be a bit more cheery.’ ”
Karen Milner, 17,
senior, Ocean View
“Schoolwork and making sure that I get it done.”
Keith Morgan, 15, sophomore, Los Alamitos
“Honesty and truth because they feel that these are the two most important qualities in a person.”
Patricia Arjun, 16, junior, Santa Margarita
“Ditching class or fighting with my little sister.”
Shara Walker, 15, sophomore, Dana Hills
“Spending money. They say it doesn’t grow on trees. Imagine that.”
Sareena Singh, 16, junior, Connelly
“Priorities.”
Katie Hawkins, 15, freshman, Newport Harbor
“Girlfriends. They think I’m too young to have a girlfriend.”
Mark Farley, 15, sophomore, Servite
“About picking up after myself. They tell me to put my dishes away and rinse them off after I eat, because our dishwasher doesn’t work anymore. They also tell me to clean my room so that it never gets messy. They are afraid when I leave home I will be a slob.”
Ryan Vasquez, 15, sophomore, Fullerton
“My parents think that I take things too much to heart.”
Diana Cheng, 17, senior, Rosary
“If I stay out after curfew, they talk at me about the dangers of what happens after midnight. They don’t discuss; they just talk at me.”
Paul Jackson, 17, senior, Woodbridge
“About anything that they want to.”
Phil Brooks, 16, junior, Southern California Christian
“About schoolwork, and growing up, and being successful and about staying away from drugs.”
Mark Bursiaga, 15, freshman, Sonora
“About being a mature and responsible adult. They say, ‘How do you expect to become a responsible adult if you don’t start now?’ ”
Manji Ambeqaokar, 15, sophomore, Villa Park
“They are never satisfied with my grades even though I get A’s and Bs.”
Prisca Engleman, 16, junior, Liberty Christian
“Sex.”
Julio Escobar, 14, freshman, Ocean View
“Coming home too late and school.”
Joy Rivera, 17, senior, Los Alamitos
“My grades, because they think my grades lag.”
Tim Pearson, 17, senior, Santa Margarita
“How not to get a boyfriend.”
Christine Le, 17, senior, Dana Hills
“School and 502s.
Jud Crary, 17, junior, Newport Harbor
“That I’m not working hard enough; I could do better.”
Talin Pariyani, 17, senior, Rosary
“My parents, especially my dad, always lecture me about parking the car over to one specific side of our driveway because it (the car) has a tendency to leak. My dad says he doesn’t want to clean it up in both places, but I guess it hasn’t occurred to him to fix the leak.”
John Heiney, 16, junior, Fullerton
“About fighting with my brother.”
Vianne Towsend, 16, senior, Southern California Christian
“Everything that I do wrong in life.”
Joann Wu, 17, senior, Woodbridge
“They always say, ‘When I was your age, I did this, I didn’t do this.’ Or they say I never help them do anything like clean the house or pick up my room.”
Wendy Morales, 14, freshman, Sonora
“About my excess extracurricular activities, how my grades have slipped, how I don’t study enough and how messy my room is.”
Pat Wang, 17, senior, Villa Park
“Not being home on time.”
Jenny Barbery, 16, junior, Liberty Christian
“They continually tell me not to do this thing or that thing they have read about in the newspaper about some other kid doing.”
Mindy Chang, 18, senior, Ocean View
Next Week’s Hot Topic:
With Bill Clinton being inaugurated as President of the United States next week, what should be his first order of business?
Responses gathered by Heather Cox (Connelly), Tina Toochinda (Dana Hills), Brian Singer (Fullerton), Abby Fung (Kennedy), Yvonne Cook (Liberty Christian), Trisha Ginsburg (Los Alamitos), Dan Eastmond (Newport Harbor), Susanna Lee (Ocean View), Lara Lagos (Rosary), Katie Elftmann (Santa Margarita), Henry York (Servite), Aimee Johnston (Sonora), Rosalind Blames (Southern California Christian), Darice Liu (Villa Park) and Mamata Kene (Woodbridge).