[aeastet]

One thing I hope the OP gets from all of this is that you need to listen and be a better parent than your parents are. I tell my sons all of the time that if you take what I taught you and you make it better for your kids then we are both better for it. Be a better parent than I was to you and your kids will thank you.

Your parents job is to try and help you be a better person based on what they were taught by their parents. You also need to understand that your parents are not out to get you (in most cases). They love you and want you to be successful. Your parents will judge themselves by how you turn out. If you are happy. and if you are successful in your life. Parents that were raised by very strict parents may have a closed mind on flexibility. Open communication is the only way to change that but it may not help. There is a lot of information on the FIRST web site. Print some of it off and leave it around your house. If they will not go to the mountain bring it to them. Do what you can do but ultimately you can not make your parents change their minds.

I will tell you as a professional engineer that I have hired interns for many years now and they have all come from the FIRST environment. I get to see smart, motivated students and get to "test drive" them for many years.

Freedom only comes when you can take care of yourself. When you get there you will look back and see the lessons that your parents taught you and you will understand why they did what they did even if you still do not agree with it.

Keep your head up and keep having fun. This is the most amazing program I have ever had the privilege to be a part of and I wish I would have had the chance to be part of it when I was in school (it didn't exist back then).