LIFE

Your parents want the best for you and they want you to be the best, but sometimes their expectations can be so high they seem out of reach. You probably feel a lot of pressure because of this and take failures very hard. It’s not a good feeling to let them down but fortunately there are ways to cope with these feelings and keep your relationship with your parents intact. 

Try your best.
As long as you are trying to be the best version of yourself that you can be, you are succeeding. Usually when your parents expect a lot from you it’s because they see the potential you have that you may not even see in yourself. Don’t short yourself by putting forth a half effort, really try your best. Not only will you make your parents proud of you but you’ll be proud of you as well.

Don’t beat yourself up.
If you are putting your best foot forward and it’s still not up to your parents' standards, don’t be too hard on yourself about it. If you know you are trying your hardest, you should be proud of yourself. Sometimes you have to give yourself a pat on the back and be your own cheerleader. 

Stay positive.
It can be easy to turn to negativity when your parents are hard on you but stay positive. Everybody makes mistakes and no one wins all the time. Don’t feed into the thought that you’re not good enough just because you’re not meeting their standards. Focus on what you’ve accomplished and what you will accomplish.

Evaluate your goals.
Think about goals you want to achieve and your expectations for yourself. Are they similar to yours? Are you setting the bar high enough for yourself? Can you do better? Sometimes your parents put pressure on you because they are trying to help push you towards your goals and they may actually know what’s best.

Forgive them.
Forgive your parents if they hurt your feelings, if at times they push a little too hard or they make you feel you’re not good enough for not meeting their expectations. Nine times out of 10 they mean well and just want to see you be all that you can.

Do your parents have unreasonably high expectations? Tell us below. 

by Lauren McMillan | 10/13/2018