Disencouragement.

A lot of parents encourage their children to join things. They say, "Join a club! Join a sport! Be a volunteer! Be in the play! Join a cult! Save the whales!"

Yes, many parents are quite supportive of their kids' interests, whether they be full-fledged or potential. I'm not talking about those parents who force their kid to be in everything - I just mean the parents are like, "You wanna do something, that's cool, do it."

Then, of course, there are the parents who don't say, "You wanna do something, that's cool, do it." If you know me, which you probably do if you're reading this, then you know how much I don't really do stuff, schoolwise. I tried joining clubs in the past and I decided they sucked and never returned; I once considered joining the basketball team in middle school but decided I didn't want to go to the tryouts because I was hungry and I had food at home. I've often considered joining debate and did not join because a)I was lazy b)I was hungry again and c)I doubted my ability to keep up with meetings and homework, when it really turns out I didn't even have that much stuff to do, I just deluded myself into believing I was super genius with lots o' homework.

LIES.

Anyway, this year, when I've sworn to actually DO STUFF that sounds interesting (sorta), I decided to really try debate. I even went to the lunch-time meeting, a big first for me! And you know, I was quite intent on doing it. I mean, other kids do waaaay more crap than me, and if they can do all that crap and still do their homework, why can't I?

Oh yeah, I was motivated.

But you know that parent that I mentioned, the one who doesn't say, "You wanna do something, that's cool, do it?" That's my mother. She basically told me that driving around picking up three separate kids at three separate times was too stressful and too wasteful and too time-consuming for her.

What I really hate here is that most parents would be sorta thrilled. I mean, right? At least that's what I assume. It's not like I told her I'm staying after school to rape the toilets or something. I'm doing something legitimately good that legitimately interests me (at least now, when I haven't even SEEN anything).

I'll make her regret it. I'll just rub it in her face that it's all her fault that I don't do enough stuff in life. When I grow up and fail at life because I never tried doing multiple things and junk, she will regret it. She herself has mentioned that since I'm young, I should be soooo full of energy and doing all sorts of cool, age-appropriate thingies.

Whatever. She lies. And I can't force her to give me a ride cause it's too stressful, and god forbid I go and do something that's not at all bad.

Meh. There's more that comes to mind, but it'd be too long and stupid to write.

On a lighter note: my mom, the same woman I'm bitching about above, caught sight of Taylor Lautner on a magazine today and said, "OoOoOoHhH! Who's that handsome looking lion boy?"

That's right. Lion boy. She thinks he looks like a lion. And is hot. And it occurred to me that, if my mother was my age, she'd plaster his face all over her walls, and her binder, and her backpack, and her face, and her Taylor L. shrine in her closet, like some sick copy of Hey Arnold's own Helga Pataki's homage to Arnold's football head.

OH GOD, THE VISUALS.