In a society where feminist movements such as #metoo have been overwhelmingly present to reaffirm the rights of women, I believe it is necessary to take a step back and acknowledge the current situation many girls have found and put themselves in at least once during their time in college. What I believe to be even more crucial is asking the questions that are being avoided to allow us to drive meaningful change for the future generations.
Being a college student exposed to many parties where legal, but also underage kids, go have fun gives you insights into the backstage of what being a teenager and a college student in the norms of our society and generation are. And trust me, it is extremely scary when you are yourself a girl to see what the new norms and expectations are simply from being of that gender.
I have seen many strangers, but also many people I deeply care about, fall within the depths of pathetic behaviour and lose all notions of self-respect under the influence of alcohol. If you enter an American party versus a European party, you will notice that the ratio of drunk people versus normal (maybe a bit intoxicated individuals) is probably halved at the European party vs the American one. Parents, you have to educate your children about the dangers of alcohol and the notion of self-respect. I urge you to reconsider where your priorities lie, especially in regards to the kind of child you want to raise and bring to the world.
In these serious times where rapes and human trafficking have been exponentially increasing, it is necessary that parents become fully aware of their responsibility in their children’s behaviour — starting while in college. If you set and incorporate at an early age values, principles, and respect within your children’s education, as well as a transparent realistic and progressive education on what going out life is when you are a responsible individual (yes, drinking can be fun and you should not NOT drink- just be careful and aware of your limits), I can assure you that your son or daughter will not be the one that is losing its motor control and falling over people, becoming aggressive or unconscious, the one easily taken advantage of or simply the one being alienated from others from his/her behavior.
Whenever I see those totally “wasted” girls as we would say in a college environment, I am reminded that they are someone’s daughter. I couldn’t possibly imagine how painful and heartbreaking it would be as a parent to know what my daughter’s behavior is actually like as a result of my own lack of initiative.
The problem is that most parents have no idea what kind of daughter they have raised in a college environment; and most parents would preferably not want to know. Yet wouldn’t you do it all over again if you were told that your daughter, that little beautiful innocent princess of yours, drinks out of her control, falls over boys and is unconsciously being touched and taken control of? As someone else’s daughter, I consider my parents’ one true mission to provide me with the keys to society and life, which start by receiving strong morals, values and principles. And I am so grateful they exceeded that mission and continue to do so.
This is a problem that is only growing and remains largely unspoken of. If I write about it today, after having considerably reconsidered publicly publishing this post, it is because I sincerely think there needs to be awareness raised and urgently. Please take action while you can and address those touchy and taboo issues, especially in countries where the legal age for drinking is much greater than 18. By avoiding having the talk and educating your children, you are to a very crucial extent failing them and failing their education. It is your role as a parent to mentor your children and prepare them for the world they are about to dive in, and only by being fully aware of what is out there and what they can expect can they be properly able to fit in and adapt themselves in a principled and respectful way.
By respect to all the young ladies and the daughters who have been abused or trafficked because of their lack of control due to intoxication, let’s raise awareness and actively take action towards the rising generation of the future college students.