Independence Wars, a Bedtime Story

In a galaxy far, far away...nah, in a normal house, in a normal neighborhood, lived a semi-normal girl who was very loved by her parents. She was very sick for a very long time, and her parents took very good care of her. When she started getting better, the girl began to realize that while her parents loved her very much, they tried to control many aspects of her life. What was she to do? She loved her parents and didn't want to upset them by seeming ungrateful...but she wanted to make her own decisions and her parents were having a hard time letting go. The girl was sad and angry - and more than a little resentful. Little things that should have stayed little things became the subject of heated discussions. One of the girl's parents liked to remind her, sometimes several times an hour, of what she should be doing. One of the girl's parents liked to remind her, several times at any given moment, that she didn't need that object or questioned the need for so many shoes and purses.

Gentle readers, do not get the idea that the girl's parents were bad, selfish and mean people. The girl understood that they had undergone a very traumatic time while she was sick for so long. Now the time had come to let go and her parents wouldn't, couldn't let go for very long or very far.

The girl wanted to move to her own normal house, in her own normal neighborhood. She thought if she found something close to her parents they would be content in visiting her in her own home. Alas, her parents were scared to let her be free. Not free from them but free to try and live her normal life, in her normal house, in her normal neighborhood. There were endless discussions on what to do to her normal house, in her normal neighborhood. They battled over floor tile, plumbing fixtures, appliances, kitchen cabinetry - any decision was a tug of war of control. The girl wielded what veto power she had but still had to listen to reasons why her parents disagreed with her decisions.

The girl dreamed of her first night in her normal house, in her normal neighborhood. Imagine her despair upon learning that her parents had worked out a system whereby one of them would always be with her - until they felt comfortable enough to let her have her solitude. The girl wondered what was the point in getting her own normal house, in her own normal neighborhood if her parents were going to be living with her?

The girl understood fear. She knew that moving to her own normal house, in her own normal neighborhood was a big step. A huge leap into the unknown. She was not afraid of the unknown - she was ready to be an adult again. The girl knew that her parents wanted to keep her as their girl because they felt they needed to protect her, to fight what battles they could for her, to make sure they were a part of her life, always...they would not, could not lose her now after almost losing her so many times before.

I don't know how the story ends, readers. It unfolds constantly with each new page. Hopefully, the girl's parents will realize that without letting her try to live her own normal life, in her own normal house, in her own normal neighborhood, the girl has already failed. The girl doesn't need to be rescued anymore.