Leave me alone!

I hear you loud and clear! That moment when you just want your parents to stop breathing down your neck with what you should do and not do. Believe me, it's not easy being where you are because parents don't know that you are no longer a 'child' and you think you are an adult and they don't see you in that way at all. Can't they just leave you to do your own thing and be your own person? Well, they could but they won't. Well, maybe not now...
No matter how grown you might look; muscular, six-packed, bearded, tall or if you are a lady, fully developed on all sides and even in the early stages of University, you will always be their child. I always tell teens, you will understand when you are a parent.

Every parent is protective of their child and wants what is best for them. Their approach might not always be the best but the more you understand they love you, it is easier to tolerate them. Truth is this, you really don't want to be left alone. Anyone who is alone will tell you they crave some sort of company and wish they had someone who could help them take decisions. God does not intend for anyone to be alone. Life is about people, friendship and bonding. The first bond you had is with your family and it will still be the strongest bond.

Parents are there to guide and provide the right counsel. Avoid telling yourself that you don't need anybody. Life gets cruel and you need someone to help you through those times. You need your parents to help you make the right choices. You need their advice on schools to pick or any other academic pursuit. The devil will take advantage of your aloneness. The Bible records that in the multitude of counsel, there is safety (Prov 11:14). We need not just our parents but good friends. When God created Adam, He said, it was not good for man to be alone. Though that scripture is quoted during weddings, God lets us know that man needs people around. Your parents, siblings and friends are the people God has put around you to help you.

Asserting your independence doesn't mean alienating people from your life  but knowing that while the ultimate decision lies with you, you need them to make you see things from different angles and your decisions are better informed. At this stage, you know a lot but not all. Don't fall for that lie of the enemy that you don't need anyone. You need God because without Him, you can do absolutely nothing and you need godly people. Whatever you do, don't be alone!