KAILA WARD | staff writer
Whether we are only children or have seven siblings, all of us have a unique relationship with our parents. Some good, some bad, and some ugly. For those of you who fall into the “good” category, count your blessings. The rest of you who may perceive your relationship as “bad,” tune in.
Right now, MTV (Music Television) is casting for an upcoming episode of the documentary series “True Life: I’m Clashing With My Parents,” and is looking for young people between the ages of 16-24, who are at odds with their parents for one reason or another. Whether it is animosity from family history, disapproval of a current lifestyle at college, or separation anxiety that has taken a turn for the worst, MTV’s ultimate goal is resolution between parents and their children.
“We feel this is something a lot of people go through,” MTV News & Docs representative Jennifer Clark said. “It something that hasn’t been done before on True Life.”
There is a common misconception that once you are out of the house and “on your own,” there is no point to convalesce a tense or hidden issue between you and your parents. This fallacy is just what MTV is trying to disprove. Instead, MTV hopes to enhance the idea that there is always hope for the healing of a broken relationship.
“It’s not a lost cause if you leave home with broken relationships. There’s still a chance to mend that, but it takes both people,” freshman social work major Aly Trapp said.
Trapp is one who deems her relationship with her father as “ugly.” This tainted relationship stemmed from the devastation of her mother’s death three years ago. Her father’s lack of hesitancy in getting back into the “dating world” surprised Trapp, when he began dating a mere four months after his wife’s death. This reason, among various other unresolved conflicts, caused Trapp and her father to begin distancing themselves from each other’s feelings, and furthermore, each other’s lives. College would seemingly separate Trapp’s hard-pressed emotions even more. However, the distance and time spent apart has given Trapp clarity in her approach to her relationship with her father.
“My dad has already apologized about everything that happened post-losing my mom. It’s on me now. It’s going to be a process with God to move on and not be angry with him,” Trapp said.
Although MTV sets out to mend broken relationships all over the country, are some relationships redeemable once they have passed a certain mark on a scale from minor casualties to incomparable damage? Is there a manual of codes one must adhere to in order to resolve damaged ties with their parents?
Dr. Grace Kim, a training director at the University Counseling Center, confirms that there are several cases regarding family issues that go through the counseling center, but also that there is a simple, less archaic method to establishing these issues and developing a strategy to resolve them.
“We have clients describe on paper what they wish their relationship with their parents looked like and the steps that are needed to take to get there,” Kim said.
A physical act of writing a letter to yourself is seemingly simple, yet has the power to get down to the basis of your conflict, and can simplify your thoughts of anger into an organized set of issues that you hope to address. Parental relationship issues commonly dealt with by university counselors include finance, disapproving of social life, and most often, difference of opinion.
“This is a time in life where students are trying to figure out who they are, perhaps what they want to hold on from their parents and what they want to do differently,” Kim said.
If you find that these issues resonate with feelings you have toward your parents, be at peace, because according to Dr. Kim, they are essential to our growth as independent adults. Accepting this inevitable change will enhance your perceived “bad” relationship and transform it into “good.”
To be cast for the documentary, send an email to parents@mtvnmix.com with contact information and a photo of yourself.
