It just occurred to me that all the sitcom scenarios and kids' advice columns that convey the lesson "The right thing to do is to have a hard talk with your parents" actually reflect reality for some people. Some girls could talk to their moms about getting a period, instead of resolving to just die of this new mysterious, horrifying bleeding rather than tell her something's wrong. Some kids can confess to their mom that they broke her tupperware without legitimately worrying that they will be threatened with murder. I had always assumed that "talk to your parents" was just a trite catch-all script writers felt they had to say, kind of like "Pray and read your Bible," that didn't actually help or have anything to do with reality. The reality I lived in was one where talking to your parents about your problems usually just made them mad.
For some kids, their parents are there to guide and help them. And the parents don't resent it. They're like the moms and dads on family shows and in kids' books.
This is actually revelatory.
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