A Girl’s Fight to Be Understood
Behind her quiet eyes is a storm no one sees. She’s the girl everyone calls “smart,” the one with top grades and perfect attendance. But beneath the surface, she’s just a teenager trying to be heard — trying to be understood. Every day, she carries a weight heavier than textbooks: the pressure to live up to expectations that were never really hers.
Modeling caught her eye first. The confidence, the creativity, the elegance — it called to her. She saw it not as a distraction, but as a way to express herself. But when she told her parents, they shut it down immediately.
“No. Focus on your studies.”
She didn’t argue. She nodded.
“I always respect their decision,” she says, “but what about my feelings? Don’t they matter too?”
Next came taekwondo. She wanted to feel strong, in control, empowered. But again, the answer was no.
“It’s too risky. You might get hurt. Your grades could slip.”
Once more, she obeyed. No complaints. Just silence.
“I never say no to them,” she whispers, “but they say no to everything that makes me feel alive.”
Then she tried dance sport. Music moved her in ways words never could. Dancing gave her a voice when she couldn’t speak. Still, her parents dismissed it.
“It’s just a hobby. You’re wasting time.”
What hurts her most isn’t their refusal — it’s the way her dreams are brushed off as meaningless. To them, success means top marks and certificates. To her, success is feeling free, feeling seen.
She’s not rebellious. She’s not lazy. She’s a girl torn between duty and desire.
“They think I’m distracted,” she says, “but I’m just trying to breathe.”
She continues to respect her parents’ decisions, not because she agrees, but because she loves them. But love shouldn’t mean losing yourself.
“I wish they’d understand that my dreams aren’t against them — they’re part of me.”
Now, she lives in the in-between. She studies because it’s expected. She hides her passions because they’re rejected. She dreams silently, loves loudly, and hopes that one day her parents will say:
“We see you. We hear you. And we support you.”
Until then, she dances in the dark, kicks the air with imaginary strength, and smiles at her reflection, pretending she’s on a runway.
Still hoping. Still trying. Still waiting to be understood.
