The Parent

The parent, like the moniker suggests, is a friend that often reminds us of our parents. In both good and bad ways. Its nice to have a caring friend that we can rely on, but at the same time, another person nagging us to do something 'for our own good' is never fun ^^;

A common characteristic of the parent is to be extraordinary caring. The parent usually worries about our well being and constantly goes out of their way to ensure that we're comfortable, safe, and happy at all times. In addition to that, they often advise us when we face problems and give us guidance. Most people are very thankful to have the parent as a friend, and oftentimes feel very secure with such a person.

However, the parent is one of the most difficult character to get into a relationship with, which is surprising considering the fact that a caring personality is a desirable characteristic. There really isn't a problem with the parent (aside from the risk of becoming overbearing like a protective parent), the thing is, it is more of a matter of difference in point of view, there is a different level of respect.

Oftentimes, the parent sees their closest friends as someone to be protected, 'don't worry, I have you under my wing~' they boldly claim. While this is honorable and all, such a mindset gets in the way of having mutual respect. I'm not saying that the parent looks down on all their friends, but they often succumb to assuming that they have to take the leading position and might sometimes impose themselves on others, trampling their peer's wishes even though they have good intentions.

In the same vein, we also tend to look at the parent on a different level. Due to their guidance and security they provide to us, we often look up to the parent and treat them with a certain level of respect. Again, while this is a good thing, it might create a barrier between us and the parent, making us unable to act naturally or be talk freely around them - and anytime we have to control your behavior around someone, we can never be completely comfortable or at ease.

What's important, then, is to achieve a sense of mutual respect. Then we can have a healthy relationship with  these noble characters who give us much needed sense of security, especially away from our families~ and who knows, with mutual respect, you might be able to return the deed to them as well! Many times, (but not all!) relationships with the parent often end up becoming very close knit, but erring more towards siblings or parents (for lack of a better term) ..or like a member of an extended family :)