Problems

"Sometimes i feel as if my family underestimates me. Just this morning, my mother who always hated that my other family members say i'm irresponsible, called me the most irresponsible and lazy girl she's ever met. She didn't realize how much that hurt my feelings. All i asked was if i could go out with my friends and she answered harshly with that. I don't know what i did."

Dear friend,

We all know how it feels to be underestimated by our family members, and yes, it hurts. Remember though that there are always two sides to a story. Your mother could be under a lot of stress and was looking for help cleaning the house that day, maybe you approached her at a bad time. If you want to know what you did wrong to receive such treatment from her, sit her down and ask her gently, why she called you that and what prompted her to call you that? Once you get the answer, use it as something to work on for the next time you want to ask her a question such as whether or not you're allowed to go out with your friends and what not.

As for your other family members, maybe during dinner, when everyone is in a relatively good mood, you could bring up the fact that you don't like being underestimated and underappreciated in the household, and that you feel as though you deserve better treatment from everyone around you. Explain to them how you feel when they call you things like "irresponsible" and "lazy" and tell them that it hurts you to hear that from the people you love most.

Love,

PRS Sri Aman