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Dear Mommy,

If' you're going to rag on my friends, don't expect me to just sit there and take it. They're my friends for a reason. I don't expect you to understand that YOU DON'T KNOW THEM. You're always talking about, "Oh I hear ______ did ________" or whatever, like, they're personal acquaintances of yours. Oh puh-lease. If you want to tell me that my best friends is using me for money, do you really just want me to sit there and agree with you? If you're going to make false assumptions about who I'm texting all the time, can you at LEAST ask me what's going on in my life? Don't pretend that you're omniscent when you really just twist everything I do to support your case.

Oh, and if you get mad at me for being a stupid little girl who doesn't know when she's getting used, please don't bring in SATs and piano and Colorguard. Why do you always have to slice open past wounds just because you want to make a case? What the hell do these have to do with what you started out talking about?

I'm SORRY if I don't have that much time to play piano now. I have other things to do too. Don't pretend to be all, "If you're too busy, you don't have to play piano anymore" and two seconds later say, "There's no point in learning piano if you don't practice. You're just using it as an excuse to tell people that you have a lot going on." I know I do that, and I know that I probably don't play piano often enough to use it as an "activity," but can you please, please, PLEASE just STOP?

Don't pretend like you know how hard my classes are. Don't pretend like you knew I didn't get a D+ on my chem test, when, at the time that I thought I did, you were mad at me for being so retarded and horrible at chem. I know you're worried because Jess didn't do so hot in chem, but can you PLEASE stop with the whole, "you're smart so you should get all of this, but you're also stupid so I understand why you didn't" charade? IT'S PISSING ME OFF.

As for SATs, I KNOW I need to study. I'm not a retard. Contrary to what you think, I actually studied for the PSAT. Not crazily or near as much as I'll do for the SAT, but what did you expect? You were getting hella mad at me for my grades, especially Bio, so I needed to pull my grades up too. And thanks, but the "You need to get over a 2200, but you probably aren't smart enough to do it" isn't helping either.

And please don't pretend like you know Colorguard. You don't know how much effort it takes to spin a rifle. Please don't tell me it's okay I can't toss a triple, because IT'S NOT. I know you don't think guard matters much, which is nice in a sense because you aren't always breathing down my neck about it, but you know what? Guard is one of the things I LOVE and do BECAUSE I LOVE TO DO IT. Piano? Sure, it's enjoyable, and I'd continue learning it, but it's not like I CHOSE to do it. All of my classes? Yeah right. So please don't rag on guard. And you know what's really annoying? When you think that it doesn't take that much energy. -scoffs- Yeah. No energy needed at all. That's why I come home from competitions and pass out.

So just... deal with it. I know who I'm getting involved with. You don't. I know what I need to work on. You just seem like you do. So please, just let me do my own thing and live my own life. I know you're just concerned and all, but it gets REALLY. F***ING. ANNOYING. Thanks. I love you too.

~ Erica

P.S. I don't believe that making your child want to cry herself to sleep is in the standard duties of a parent. And did you have to bring in the fact that I haven't been wearing my retainers lately too? Does that even really matter that much?

P.P.S. Daddy, you don't even know what I spin in Colorguard, what classes I'm taking, or what tests I'm taking at the centers you're driving me to. So I appreciate it even less when you start criticizing me, than when Mommy does. So my advice is that you either start getting involved in my life, or just leave me alone. I love you and all, but please don't pretend you know anything about my schedule, because you really don't. Hell, you thought I was taking an AP test in October...