From the archive

Your parents don't always want you to live your own life

Their advice has a history. Maybe they lived through poverty and now see any uncertainty as a catastrophe. Maybe they took a risk once and got burned. Maybe they've spent their entire lives putting up with things, and can't stand watching you prepare to reject what they thought was inevitable. That explains a lot. But it doesn't make their fear your lifelong obligation. You can listen to someone, understand where their anxiety comes from, and still choose differently. Sympathy doesn't require handing them control of your life.