Impressed?. . . I think not!

Why do I constantly try to impress my parents?That has been on my mind a lot this past.. well month! Ever since middle school, I have always wanted to impress my parents. But now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever been successful.

It's always "you could have done better!” , "you did that wrong!" , "you are such a horrible kid"

Example #1... my grades! I've always gotten A's and B's through school. But not once did my parents tell me good job. I only got 3 B's in high school... one of which I actually earned in 8th grade! Algebra, Geometry, and Advanced Composition (college class). In my family I think a B is a sin and is the end of the world. Like in pre-calculus in college last semester I got a B. The rest of my grades were A's! First thing my mom said to me? "A B?????? Aleecia, you should have done better!" Oh, I'm sorry that I got a B the grade that is still considered above average. "Good Job, Aleecia!" That's all I wanted.

Example #2... cleaning? My parents always complain the house is a mess and we leave our stuff lying around. So, last year I started randomly cleaning up the kitchen, the living room, the bathrooms, the basement, and my room... and made them look REALLY nice. Did anyone ever say anything about those rooms suddenly being clean? Nope! They acted like they were like that when they left, and they sure were not! But it was usually "Why didn’t you do this? Why did you forget to do that? You missed that!" ... "Thanks, Aleecia!" That's all I wanted.

Example #3... doing what I'm told. When I was younger, I always had the problem of my parents telling me to do something, and I'd be like yeah, yeah, I’ll do it later, and I ended up forgetting about it. Then I'd get into trouble. So once I got into high school I tried to do everything they told me to when they told me to without complaining. Tonight for example! My dad told me to take out my trash. So, I did! As soon as I stepped foot back into my house, I got yelled at with everything I did wrong. The bad thing, I seriously didn’t know what I was being yelled at for! "Thank you for doing that, Aleecia!" That's all I wanted.

Example #4... graduation night! That was a big moment in my life. I got through my 3rd high school, and actually graduated #13? in my class. That was hard work to do when I had to keep switching school systems and the requirements to graduate. Not once did I complain. So finally graduation night rolls around, I graduate, and afterwards I had to get my actual diploma from the lady in this room in the building. And my parents of course told me to come meet them behind the bleachers afterwards. When I finally got to the bleachers after I got it... I got yelled at "because I took too long to get there" .... right in front of everyone there including my family that came to see me, I was being yelled at. "Congrats Aleecia, we are so proud of you" .... that’s all I wanted!

Is wanting that kind of stuff too much to ask for? Seriously. My parents make me out [like to grandparents and other relatives] that my sister and I are the worst kids in the world. And I always thought they had it easy. I never went out and smoked crack, drank alcohol, had sex, got pregnant, and other things some teenagers do. I was kid everyone called a chicken for doing none of that because I was worried about what my parents thought about what I did.

All I want is one compliment from my parents! Just one.