Sometimes I feel like my parents try to sabotage my social development. As a kid, I was told that childhood friendships were pointless. My parents didn't respond well when I told them that I wanted to start weight lifting. My father told me that I could be like 130 lbs max, I'm 138 now, just due to puberty gains. I was always told that my only purpose in life should be to get a good job and get a wife by being a beta provider. Just marry a gold digging sloot. When I'm lean, my mom tells me that I'm getting too skinny and that I was cute when I was chubby. When I pointed out my defined jawline and unbloated cheeks, she responded with disdain. When I got cut from the basketball team in middle school, my father said he was happy because he didn't have to drive me to practice. I was always discouraged from athletic participation. I practiced on my own time though, and I did get pretty good at basketball. I always sucked when tryouts came around though. My mother told me I couldn't date until I was 18, now she is telling me that I can't date until I'm 20. During elementary school and high school, when I lost my friends and became a massive loner, they never even seemed concerned. I was also not allowed to get a haircut until it got extremely messy, about 2 months in. Whenever I have an aesthetic hairstyle, they tell me to cut it short. When I want to maintain a short fade, they tell me that I'm crazy for wanting to cut my hair when it's already not long. My father always tells me to just settle for mediocrity, don't get ripped, settle for a female that's not up to your standards, and get a mediocre government job. I was also told that once you got good grades and starting making "good" money, women will flock to you and everybody will want to be your friend. I have realized that much of this is wrong. I'm going to max out my mind and body and work on my social skills, while going for my dream career (I have backup plans just in case though).

Don't get me wrong, I don't hold any grudges, and I love my parents and appreciate them a lot. Much of it probably not their fault they, it may just be generational differences.