gan_ibo

Hi!

Now, I know a lot of you are just going to tell me things I already know, and I don't want to come off as snobbish or know-it-all-ish. .. ?? Please hear me out.

I'm fifteen and my mother is extremely over-protective. I understand that she loves me very much and she'd never want anything to happen to me. I understand that very very well. However, I do want a little freedom. I get A's and B's in school. I have never done drugs [never plan to - they are ick-ee.], I don't drink, I don't even date. [I just have no interest.] I have not lied to my parents beyond when I was small. I am usually very honest with them. Sometimes you can't tell them everything and you shouldn't - it only makes them worry.

I'm sure a lot of people think I'm just being a spoiled little brat who wants everything. You're wrong. I don't want to go partying all weekend or anything. What I want is to have some say in what I can and cannot do. I know she is the parent [as I have been informed many times. ^^] and has the final say, but there are a few problem issues. One has always been religion. I am not Christian. I have nothing against the religion. I am not saying "there is no God." I have NO right to say that. I am saying I don't agree with that religion and at this point in time, have no desire to. I have a belief system and I have my own spirituality. I am not worshipping anything. I don't want to be forced to go to sermons on a religion that I don't believe in. She can go; anyone who wants to can. I just don't want to. Am I in the wrong here?

Another issue is a game I play. It's called Dungeons and Dragons. I'm sure many have heard of it. I play at the college, with people who are older than I am. Two of these people are my close friends [we'll call them Locke and Dezzy.]. The others are very nice people [we'll call them Harley and Ikiru.]. The DM [dungeon master - he controls the game - we'll call him Lorne] is making a special exception for me to play, since I'm only a sophomore in high school and this is a college game. I made a compromise with her - I would watch for three weeks and then she would make a decision. My father said that this was fine with him. I watched for three weeks. These are five hour sessions. They aren't exactly the most fun things to sit through. ^^ However, after I had completed my part of the deal, and asked her for her decision, she said she hadn't thought about it. I waited a few days and she said no. We discussed it again [much to my irritation. . .] and my father convinced her. I'm now allowed to play, and I have not conceived any murder plots as of yet. I doubt I will. ^_-

How can I help my mother see that I wil be responsible for myself and if I make a mistake, I will try to correct it? I don't want to make her worry, but I don't want for the next two to three years to tell people I can't do things that I want to do very much [little things like going to people's houses for awhile, movies, etc. Nothing dangerous.]. I don't want to "rebel," because that won't solve anything. Any ideas?

Gan