In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, one of the final scenes during the credits highlights a teenage version of the character Groot mocking one of his parent figures Peter, as Peter tries to scold him. While this scene is undoubtedly hilarious it can also be a real reflection into the attitudes of today's youth. I have friends who aren't obedient to their parents wishes especially when it is their suggestions are in the best interests of their child safety and fun. I understand that some kids don't have the best people to look up to and their ideas will seem lame at first but as our teenage brains develop and we may make some irrational decisions as an older guide they can be your best friends. Being older nets you a thing or two about life and similar experiences; they may not know who Billie Eilish is or what Pepe the frog represents, but they may know what it's like to be in our shoes.

We are assigned at birth our parents and we are stuck with them until adulthood and usually will be communicating with them long after that so we should build connections through this. To solidify this point an article named, “Collaborating With Families” by Vanderbilt University proclaims that, “Generally, parents are the one constant influence and presence in their child's life”(1). Knowing this shouldn't we be able to give our parents faith in what direction we are going in our lives? We should be able to build a solid foundation of respect with our elders since they were the ones taking care of us since we were kids and will until we move out to explore the world on our own. With them being our “constant influence”, we should try and see where their influence leads us to go and do. We shouldn't make the job hard for them, they still have a long way before all of us can make decisions independently.

When America became independent from the British, we won and thrived as a nation because of the trust in our founding fathers; we are similar in the same sense, under trust relationships thrive and being truthful follows. Trust should be built between parent and child as the decisions that many teens stereotypes can leave parents to worry about their child’s own actions. The philosophical department of Stanford University has an article describing the various aspects of trust and how it plays a role in human nature. The idea on the requirements of trust are expressed as, “Trusting requires that we can… 2) think well of others, at least in certain domains”(Stanford, 1). Everyone has had an experience in which they don’t think very highly of someone and it’s safe to say that trusting that person isn’t the first priority when being near them. It’s logical to conclude that if teens don’t do what their parents say it would be hard for them to think well of their child’s actions. When we trust someone, we are able to thrive and work together better. For example, when working in a group project with people you didn’t know that well it often turns out that communication is difficult because it is hard to trust those people with your opinion. When we are grouped up with friends we have a fun time while also being productive, it’s a win-win. That can be applied here, with more trust, parents can feel better of their child’s decisions, trust their kids more and kids can trust their parents more when their input works.

Trust comes from time similar to how experience comes from a long time of working with something. The law department of the University of Denver talks about the criteria of being hired as a lawyer. In their article “Foundations for Practice: Hiring the Whole Lawyer: Experience Matters”, the university emphasizes  “We learned that experience matters. While many employers in practice still rely on criteria like class rank, law school, and law review, our respondents indicated that if they wanted to hire people with the broad array of foundations they identified as important”(Gerkman, 1). This shows experience as an important aspect in getting a job, but even in the real world experience is important. When learning to ride a bike, it is much more helpful to have someone who has experienced riding a bike teach you. It is obvious that as humans we see experience as a criteria for credibility. Our parents reach this credibility usually around 20 years ahead of us, they know more and therefore have more credibility for their actions. Listening to our parents will allow us to have a better time as they may have had similar experiences in the past and will help us avoid the mistakes they have made. With all the time they have taken in their lives to have fun and be safe we should take their input from their experiences to have these aspects fulfilled.

Our parents can sometimes act crazy or lame, but in the end they love us enough to care for us from birth until adulthood (They may even care enough to get you this magazine!). As we go through our rebellious phase through life, we should try and consider the ones close to us that have been through it as well. By listening to our parents we may benefit from their love, we can build trust, and live happier lives based on their experiences. Considering their constant influence on us, their cautionary trust in us, and experience it is logical to listen to what they have to say. Many of us will still be rebellious and try things our own way, and that’s fine but we should at least build a mutual respect for our parents input.   

Works Cited:

Gerkman, Alli, and Logan Cornett. “What Are Some Ways to Go about Building Positive Relationships with Families?” IRIS Center, 17 Jan. 2017.

Iris Center Vanderbuilt Edu. “Foundations for Practice: Hiring the Whole Lawyer: Experience Matters.” IAALS

McLeod, Carolyn. “Trust.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 3 Aug. 2015.