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Sometimes we feel as though our parents expect too much from us. Many of us deal with these expectations in different ways; some of those ways are negative, and some of those ways are positive. However, it is true that parental disappointment can make people better. Whether or not our relationships with our parents become better or worse, we can try to use parental disappointment to improve ourselves and not allow us to think less of ourselves.

Parental disappointment is a heartbreaking thought to many children. After all, when we are young children, we always seek to please our parents. We ask them what we think of the things that we draw, the things that we do, the words that we say. We want to impress them, and we yearn for their praise. It is a natural desire to seek these praises because we equate them with some type of love.

However, as we grow older, our reason grows and we soon become mired in all of our parents' expectations. Some of our parents expect some of us to have well-paying jobs. Some of our parents expect us to help them financially even when we are adults and/or married. Some of our parents may even expect to live with us when they grow old. And, many times, our parents will have little expectations for us throughout our daily lives.

Some of these expectations are rightfully made; after all, we may feel that we have an obligation towards our parents, who brought us up and gave us life. However, when we do not meet some of these expectations, parental disappointment can mean tough roads for our parental-child relationships.

In order to make good use of these "disappointments," it is always good to communicate with your parents. Let them know what you think, and tell them why you think you did not meet their expectations. Were their expectations too high?

In contrast, you can also use these disappointments to create expectations for yourself. You can use them to improve the way that you achieve your goals. What kind of expectations, lowered or increased, can you derive from your parents' expectations and their disappointments?

The word "disappointment" appears to be harsh, but try not to think of it that way. As long as you talk over the "disappointment" with your parents, and as long as you know that they still love you, you can use their little disappointments to improve your own quality of life.

Learn more about this author, Joan Inong.
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