By Geraldine Carrillo |Staff Writer|
Growing up we have all heard the phrase, “You have way more opportunities now than we ever had when we were younger.” This version of “guilt trip” tactic is an effective way parents are getting their children to go to college.
Parents mean well and always want the best for their children. They believe that having a stable job can lead to having a good life almost ensuring that possibility.
I strongly believe parents have one major goal; which is to get their child to attend college to provide a long fulfilling career.
Whether one may or may not agree with that tactic, it is a smart way to get more people to go to college.
My parents have genuinely struggled when it came to education.
My father did not get to go to high school because of how poor and rural his town was in Zacatecas Mexico, and always having to work.
My mother finished high school, but came from Mexico City to the United States at a young age and did not have enough funds to go to college.
Although guilt tripping might not seem ideal for students, it is a great tactic to get more people to go to college.
“The reason I’m going to school is mostly because I know my parents struggled to come to this country and I want to give back through my education” said student Natalie Lopez.
While some students are attending college because they have a genuine interest in doing so, some students attend college as gratitude for their parents.
“I’m not scared of what my parents say. I honestly don’t like school, but just like I don’t like to work, I still have to do it. I know at the end of the day it’s going to benefit me and my education in the long run,” said student Maria B.
In a way, I am personally going to college because I feel the pressure to give back to my parents in return for the long investment my parents have given me.
I also believe that being informed and staying educated will open doors for my family and myself.
Currently, I am 16 weeks pregnant and I think about my baby’s future and my future more than ever, so yes! I am going to use this tactic myself.
I used to think my parents “guilt tripping” me to attend college by saying “Take advantage of all the resources and opportunities you have that we didn’t”, but in all reality is it not true?
Now being a parent myself I think of all the opportunities my son or daughter can have knowing I can help her with homework .
My parents “guilt trip” tactic was to give me a sense of hope that, “maybe I can be the first one to graduate since they didn’t have that chance”.
“I don’t really consider it guilt tripping if its true, I see it more as goal that I am setting for my self that I need to take advantage of since my parents couldn’t.” said student Daniel Carrillo
Getting that push from my parents has made me become more mature and aware as a person, guilt tripping is something that for me personally, has been appreciated.
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