Interesting observation
I got word this week about an old friend of mine who is now in prison. I am totally shocked, because this was not the type of girl you expected to go to prison. You'd expect her to run off to Hollywood, but not prison. As I discussed this with another old friend, she brought up a good point. She knows a lot of people we went to school with, & it seems like the people who grew up in unstable homes have gone out & made stable homes for themselves. And those that were so overly protected & had everything handed to them - like the one that's gone to prison - only fell into trouble when they had to go out & deal with the real world.
I just thought it was an interesting point.
Comments
Hollywood
Since you mentioned that you would have expected her to end up in Hollywood instead of prison I thought about my experience with highly talented people. Growing up in theatre and meeting tons of young theatre majors I am not surprised at your friend's fate. Many of my young theatre friends have personality disorders. I think that the need for attention and drama drives a lot of them there. Plus there's a transient nature to it, kind of the gypsy/circus people aspect. So if you over do it and people turn their back on you, you can just go onto the next theatre community and start over. One of my dearest friends I had to cut off b/c it was unhealthy for me to keep trying with her. She ended up lying and stealing her way to an ID theft charge and 3 years probabtion. She would make up elaborate schemes (fantasies I think. Then she would have to do inappropriate things in order to cover it.) I found out she's alienated herself from every local theatre community now in my (and surrounding areas) and switched from the theatre community to the writer/university community. (Which I'm also a part of
It's sad b/c she was one of the most talented people I knew.
Peace, love, and red wine
So sad
It IS sad. This girl was one of my closest friends back in high school. But her mother was so protective of her... one taste of freedom & she went over the edge.
Hipi
Protective
This is a tough one for me b/c we are pretty strict. I wouldn't say over protective but I have no idea how to raise a teenager in today's world. Our parents didn't have all this technology and we didn't act entitled to every new gadget. I don't remember EVER suggesting my parents buy me a tv for my room, my own personal phone, etc. Also, I had free reign growing up due to my parents being "absent" and preocuppied with my older disabled brother. I stayed out til 4am at 14. I had my first boyfriend/ date at 13, I drank, I smoked, I tried (pretty tame) drugs occasionally. I dated an abusive boyfriend in highschool, the list goes on and on. So it's even harder for me to not be over-protective. However, when we give them an inch of rope they attempt to hang each other with it (see my Lord of the Flies parts one and deux posts.) We are always balancing giving them enough space to screw up and making sure that screw up isn't lethal or harmful. At the rate they're going I can't imagine them driving in a few years!
Peace, love, and red wine