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Dealing with family expectations and double standards
I’m 21 F, in my final year of college, and I’ve always done everything my family expected from me. I was a topper in school, excelled in extracurriculars, and got into a great college with a top 0.1% JEE rank. I thought once I made it to college, the pressure would ease, but it only got worse. Since day one, my family has been pushing this narrative: “Get a 40 LPA job and then prepare for UPSC.” I don’t even want to do UPSC, but they don’t care. Recently, I got placed with a 25 LPA job, and I was genuinely proud of myself. But when I told my family, instead of being happy, they were disappointed. Why? Because it wasn’t 40 LPA. It really broke me. I worked so hard, and even then, it feels like it’s never enough for them. What makes it worse is the double standards in my family. I have two cousins (23M and 25F) who are treated completely differently. My brother has had 8 exes already, drinks, smokes, and parties all the time. My sister has done even more, but no one in the family questions them. They’ve both been jobless for years, yet everyone just ignores it. But for me? I can’t even think about having a boyfriend. Before college, my family made it very clear: “No relationships, no distractions.” There was a guy in college I genuinely liked. We were good friends, and when he confessed his feelings, I had to say no because I knew my family wouldn’t accept it. After that, we stopped being friends, and it really hurt. It still does, especially now that he has a girlfriend and moved on. In fact, I’ve turned down every single proposal I’ve gotten in college because of this pressure. I didn’t even have the courage to date someone in secret because I know how closely they monitor me. Recently, I’ve been gaining weight and wanted to join a gym to feel better about myself. But even that was denied! They said, “Gym is just a fancy thing for spoiled kids, you don’t need it.” It’s so frustrating. I feel like I have no control over my own life. Sometimes I cry in the bathroom because I feel so helpless. I’ve tried talking to them, but they just brush it off, saying things like, “If it’s too much for you, stop studying and ruin your life.” It’s exhausting. I’m just hoping that when I start my job next year, I’ll finally get some freedom. But how do I make my family see how unfair they’re being without turning it into a huge fight? It’s so hard to make them understand my side. Any advice?3
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