...See more
My parents have had me locked in a cage my entire life. I'm from an asain Christian family, so the expectations are always very high. They expect me to get perfect grades, be the best at countless extracurriculars, and be a sweet, self-sacrificing, submissive daughter. It's so much pressure piled on top of me, and it's too much for me to handle. I don't know how much longer I can keep it up. I get perfect grades, but my parents have chosen these awful extracurriculars for me, completely disregarding my own hobbies and interests that I'm actually passionate about being the best at. I spend so much time perfecting what they want me to do that I have no time for myself--to do what I'm interested in, or even just to rest or hang out with friends (which I have no real ones because I'm depressed and not fun to be around, doing homework during lunch and break, and living and breathing schoolwork). I love reading and writing, and I sometimes skip eating lunch just to have some time to work on my novel. My parents want me to have a career in AI and Robotics, despite my telling them that I want to be a musical theatre actress and/or writer. I spend so much time on what they want me to do that I'm afraid that when the time comes for me to do what I actually want to do, I won't be good enough to do it for a living. They also yell at me constantly and compare me to my younger sister (the golden child). They say I should be grateful for everything they've done for me, and I am, I just don't know how much longer I can take this. They say they despise me more and more everyday and told me they're gonna ship me off to get me out of their hair (I sometimes snap and say what's on my mind instead of what they want me to hear). When my dad is angry, he's violent and scares me, he threatens me and hits me sometimes (though not that serious). He makes me call myself derogatory names and has this twisted extreme filial piety and kind of sexist view of things. He once said I should be begging on my knees for his forgiveness. I want to despise him, but he's my dad and he's going into a surgery that might kill him soon. I feel so guilty that I'm relieved he will be gone for a while. I'm also sad, our relationship is so strained right now and if he dies--he can't die, I think I still love him. What do I do? (Make this clearer and more succint)
You’re carrying an overwhelming amount of pressure and emotional pain. Your parents expect perfection from you academically and socially while dismissing your own passions and goals. You spend nearly all your time meeting their demands—perfect grades, extracurriculars you hate, constant achievement—leaving no room for rest, friendships, or the things you actually love, like reading, writing, and musical theatre. You’re terrified that by the time you finally have the freedom to pursue your own dreams, you’ll be too burnt out or behind to succeed.
At home, things feel emotionally suffocating. Your parents compare you to your younger sister, insult you, and tell you they despise you. Your father can be violent and intimidating when angry, sometimes hitting or threatening you and forcing you to humiliate yourself. He expects complete obedience and submission, which leaves you feeling trapped between fear, guilt, and obligation.
Now, with your father facing a serious surgery, your emotions are tangled and confusing. Part of you feels guilty for being relieved he’ll be gone for a while because life feels safer and less stressful without him around. Another part of you is terrified of losing him forever because despite everything, he’s still your dad, and you still love him. You’re grieving the relationship you wish you could have had with him while also struggling under the weight of the pain he’s caused you.
Turn this into first person
I feel like my parents have kept me trapped in a cage my entire life. Growing up in an Asian Christian family, I’ve always been expected to be perfect—to get flawless grades, excel at countless extracurriculars, and be a sweet, self-sacrificing, submissive daughter. The pressure is overwhelming, and I don’t know how much longer I can keep carrying it.
Even though I get perfect grades, the extracurriculars I do aren’t things I care about—they’re the things my parents chose for me. They completely ignore the hobbies and passions that actually matter to me, like reading, writing, and musical theatre. I spend so much time trying to meet their expectations that I barely have time to rest, spend time with friends, or be myself. Sometimes I even skip lunch just to work on my novel because it’s the only thing that still feels like mine.
My parents want me to go into AI and robotics, even though I’ve told them I want to be a writer or musical theatre actress. I’m scared that by the time I finally have the freedom to pursue what I actually love, I’ll be too burnt out or too far behind to succeed.
At home, I constantly feel criticized and compared to my younger sister, who feels like the “golden child.” My parents tell me I should be grateful for everything they’ve done for me, and I am—but I still feel miserable. They say they despise me more and more every day and threaten to send me away because I sometimes speak honestly instead of saying what they want to hear.
My dad especially scares me when he’s angry. He can be violent, threatening, and controlling. He’s hit me before, forced me to call myself degrading names, and has extreme beliefs about obedience and filial piety. Once, he told me I should be begging on my knees for his forgiveness.
Now he’s about to go into a surgery that could kill him, and I feel horribly conflicted. Part of me feels guilty for being relieved that he’ll be gone for a while because things feel less tense without him around. But another part of me is terrified something will happen to him because despite everything, he’s still my dad, and I think I still love him. I feel trapped between fear, guilt, anger, and grief, and I don’t know what to do anymore.
Add a part how im isolated and lonely and just want to be loved by someone and how I think im selfish and wish I could be better
I feel like my parents have kept me trapped in a cage my entire life. Growing up in an Asian Christian family, I’ve always been expected to be perfect—to get flawless grades, excel at countless extracurriculars, and be a sweet, self-sacrificing, submissive daughter. The pressure is overwhelming, and I don’t know how much longer I can keep carrying it.
Even though I get perfect grades, the extracurriculars I do aren’t things I care about—they’re the things my parents chose for me. They completely ignore the hobbies and passions that actually matter to me, like reading, writing, and musical theatre. I spend so much time trying to meet their expectations that I barely have time to rest, spend time with friends, or be myself. Sometimes I even skip lunch just to work on my novel because it’s the only thing that still feels like mine.
I feel incredibly isolated and lonely all the time. I don’t really have close friends because my entire life revolves around schoolwork and achievement. I spend lunches doing homework, I’m always exhausted, and I feel like I’ve forgotten how to just enjoy being around people. Sometimes all I want is for someone to genuinely love me for who I am instead of what I accomplish or how useful I can be to them. I want to feel cared for without having to earn it first.
My parents want me to go into AI and robotics, even though I’ve told them I want to be a writer or musical theatre actress. I’m scared that by the time I finally have the freedom to pursue what I actually love, I’ll be too burnt out or too far behind to succeed.
At home, I constantly feel criticized and compared to my younger sister, who feels like the “golden child.” My parents tell me I should be grateful for everything they’ve done for me, and I am—but I still feel miserable. They say they despise me more and more every day and threaten to send me away because I sometimes speak honestly instead of saying what they want to hear.
My dad especially scares me when he’s angry. He can be violent, threatening, and controlling. He’s hit me before, forced me to call myself degrading names, and has extreme beliefs about obedience and filial piety. Once, he told me I should be begging on my knees for his forgiveness.
A part of me feels selfish for struggling so much when my parents have sacrificed a lot for me. I keep thinking that maybe if I were kinder, more obedient, more hardworking, or just better somehow, things wouldn’t be like this. I wish I could stop disappointing people. I wish I could be the version of myself everyone wants me to be while still feeling like a real person underneath it all.
Now my dad is about to go into a surgery that could kill him, and I feel horribly conflicted. Part of me feels guilty for being relieved that he’ll be gone for a while because things feel less tense without him around. But another part of me is terrified something will happen to him because despite everything, he’s still my dad, and I think I still love him. I feel trapped between fear, guilt, anger, loneliness, and grief, and I don’t know what to do anymore.
Add a part about my parents saying no one could ever love me and it's been a big fear of mine because I think that's all I want in life to live and be loved
I feel like my parents have kept me trapped in a cage my entire life. Growing up in an Asian Christian family, I’ve always been expected to be perfect—to get flawless grades, excel at countless extracurriculars, and be a sweet, self-sacrificing, submissive daughter. The pressure is overwhelming, and I don’t know how much longer I can keep carrying it.
Even though I get perfect grades, the extracurriculars I do aren’t things I care about—they’re the things my parents chose for me. They completely ignore the hobbies and passions that actually matter to me, like reading, writing, and musical theatre. I spend so much time trying to meet their expectations that I barely have time to rest, spend time with friends, or be myself. Sometimes I even skip lunch just to work on my novel because it’s the only thing that still feels like mine.
I feel incredibly isolated and lonely all the time. I don’t really have close friends because my entire life revolves around schoolwork and achievement. I spend lunches doing homework, I’m always exhausted, and I feel like I’ve forgotten how to just enjoy being around people. Sometimes all I want is for someone to genuinely love me for who I am instead of what I accomplish or how useful I can be to them. I want to feel cared for without having to earn it first.
My parents have told me that no one could ever truly love me, and I think those words have stayed with me more than anything else. It’s become one of my biggest fears—that maybe they’re right, that there’s something fundamentally wrong with me that makes me impossible to love. And the truth is, I think all I really want in life is to live peacefully and be loved by someone who sees me as a person instead of a disappointment or a project to fix.
My parents want me to go into AI and robotics, even though I’ve told them I want to be a writer or musical theatre actress. I’m scared that by the time I finally have the freedom to pursue what I actually love, I’ll be too burnt out or too far behind to succeed.
At home, I constantly feel criticized and compared to my younger sister, who feels like the “golden child.” My parents tell me I should be grateful for everything they’ve done for me, and I am—but I still feel miserable. They say they despise me more and more every day and threaten to send me away because I sometimes speak honestly instead of saying what they want to hear.
My dad especially scares me when he’s angry. He can be violent, threatening, and controlling. He’s hit me before, forced me to call myself degrading names, and has extreme beliefs about obedience and filial piety. Once, he told me I should be begging on my knees for his forgiveness.
A part of me feels selfish for struggling so much when my parents have sacrificed a lot for me. I keep thinking that maybe if I were kinder, more obedient, more hardworking, or just better somehow, things wouldn’t be like this. I wish I could stop disappointing people. I wish I could be the version of myself everyone wants me to be while still feeling like a real person underneath it all.
Now my dad is about to go into a surgery that could kill him, and I feel horribly conflicted. Part of me feels guilty for being relieved that he’ll be gone for a while because things feel less tense without him around. But another part of me is terrified something will happen to him because despite everything, he’s still my dad, and I think I still love him. I feel trapped between fear, guilt, anger, loneliness, and grief, and I don’t know what to do anymore.
Make this more succinct
I feel like my parents have kept me trapped my entire life. Growing up in an Asian Christian family, I’ve always been expected to be perfect—to get flawless grades, excel in endless extracurriculars, and be a sweet, obedient, self-sacrificing daughter. The pressure is exhausting, and I don’t know how much longer I can handle it.
I get perfect grades, but the extracurriculars I do are the ones my parents chose for me, not the things I actually love. My real passions are reading, writing, and musical theatre, but I barely have time for them because my entire life revolves around meeting my parents’ expectations. Sometimes I even skip lunch just to work on my novel because it’s the only thing that still feels like mine. I’m scared that by the time I finally have the freedom to pursue what I truly want, I’ll be too burnt out or too far behind to succeed.
I feel incredibly isolated and lonely. I don’t really have close friends because all I do is work. Sometimes all I want is to be loved for who I am instead of what I achieve. My parents have told me that no one could ever love me, and those words have become one of my biggest fears. Deep down, I think all I really want is a peaceful life where I can be loved and accepted as myself.
My parents constantly compare me to my younger sister and make me feel like a disappointment. They tell me they despise me more every day and threaten to send me away when I speak honestly instead of telling them what they want to hear. My dad especially scares me when he’s angry. He can be threatening and sometimes violent, and he’s forced me to humiliate myself for his forgiveness. At the same time, I feel guilty for struggling because my parents have sacrificed so much for me, and I keep wondering if I’m just selfish or not good enough.
Now my dad is about to undergo a surgery that could kill him, and I feel torn apart. Part of me feels guilty for being relieved he’ll be gone for a while because things feel less tense without him around. But another part of me is terrified of losing him because despite everything, he’s still my dad, and I still love him. I feel trapped between fear, guilt, anger, grief, and loneliness, and I don’t know what to do anymore.
