@diplomaticNectarine837
Hi there,
It sounds like this is quite a tough situation to be in. From what I think I'm understanding, you are wanting to have more responsibilities in your family, so that hopefully you will be seen as an adult in their eyes. Is that right?
Unfortunately, although you might find yourself with more responsibilities (such as financial ones), it's very possible that your parents will continue to treat you in a way that makes you feel younger than you are, due to their personal beliefs on how their children should behave in the world. Your parents might not want you to be spending time with someone who has a chronic illness because they worry that you'll end up having to take care of them for the rest of your life, which is a genuine worry that parents might have for their kids. However...diabetes is quite a manageable disease, and it doesn't sounds like your friend would make you have to be his guardian just because he might have to inject himself once a day with insulin.
If you want to continue having people in your Life that fit your parents' bill and not your own, please get ready to spend a long, long life of having people around that you might not want, and putting up with things that you'd rather not deal with. Parents mean well, but you are an adult right now, and deserve to be treated like one. Sadly, it's possible that your parents might not agree with that logic, and get to the point where they ask you to move out if you're not going to let them control who you can see and what you do.
Well see Im the oldest child. Im 20 and well I havent actually dated anyone whom my parents met. They are very strict Christians. And well I met this guy hes also a Christian but more lenient to stuff and very charismatic. My parents made up their mind about him not being a good guy for me with out giving him the chance. And told me he wasnt welcomed. So I had to make a choice and stop talking to him. But as much as I tried hes not like the other guys I talked to in the Past. Usually I would look for someone who fit my parents list and not mine.
If you'd like to be an example to your younger siblings, being strong in your convictions and letting your parents know that it is inappropriate for them to try and dictate whom you spend time with might be a start. Be prepared though for some heavy backlash as a response. If you end up feeling so uncomfortable that you start doing things in secret, you might get away with it for a while, but secrets always come out into the open.
Either way, you are going to have to become a full-fledged grown up at some point, so it's your decision as to when you're going to decide that you live your life for yourself, and not for what your parents think you should be doing.
Please feel free to send me a message if you'd ever like to chat about this more in depth. Good luck with your decisions! <3
