When a child reaches 18 years old and expresses a desire to strike out on their own, the proper response is pride.  Independence is good quality that is not seen enough in younger generations. Kids get coddled by narcissistic parents and don’t want to leave home.  Or they are set adrift as the gilded vessel for a parent’s hopes and dreams  (aka – grandkids).  I’ve consistently encountered Boomer-age parents that seem far too pleased about their high school children not understanding what it takes to live on their own.  They guffaw and crow about their legal adult children finding out what it costs to have a cell phone and car insurance.  It’s horrifying how much glee they take in lording unreasonable standards of living over their progeny.

In a feudal sense, I should have expressed more artistic freedom knowing that the kingdom wouldn’t rest on my shoulders.  Prodigal daughter that I am, I still wanted to please my parents more than I should.  Much like Miss American pageants, my upbringing ranked traits like pretty (evening gown) or thin (swimsuit) in equal parts to smart (classy) or talented (scholarship-worthy). Success is measured in ratios and percentage rates.  Beauty is skin deep and everyone peaks during senior year.  That’s why the some kids perpetually go to school.  Another chance to be on top of something before the next valley of mediocrity can open its maw to swallow you whole.

I feel like this might be a generation-specific thing.