Once upon a time there was a teenage girl named Emily. She is a 15 year old girl with long brown hair. She lives on a farm in the country with her parents, Jim and Becky. They raise horses and beef cows. Emily is a freshmen in high school. She spends her days by doing chores before school,attending classes and returns home to do the rest of her chores.

Emily's parents were very strict. She had a very strict and tight schedule. She had to get straight A's in school or she would be punished. Her parents rarely allowed her to have friends over or for her to go out with her friends and do normal teenage stuff. She was either at school or at home helping on their family farm. She despised her parents and their rules. She didn't feel it was fair that her friends could go out and have fun and she was stuck at home all the time doing chores.

She was afraid to ask her parents permission to do things with her friends because the answer was always no or they would find other things for her to do before she was allowed to go out. By the time she was finished it was too late. She was always told "if you don't want to listen to me you will fear me". She knew that she never wanted to find out what that meant so she did everything her parents asked without questioning them.

Emily had wished her parents were more laid back like her friend's parents. Her friends never got into trouble.

They never had to study or do homework. If they did get into trouble their parents would threaten punishments but would never actually follow through with them. They got to do whatever they wanted whenever they wanted. She wanted parents like that too.

Emily's was jealous of her friends because they had more freedom then her and could do more fun things. Her friend Sam never had to ask permission to do things. Her mom was never home and when she was she didn't even talk to her. She let her do whatever she wanted. She never knew who she was hanging out with or where she was going.

Sam's mom was always working or at the local tavern and she didn't see her dad ever. Her parents divorced when she was a little girl. Her dad never was around. He only cared about himself and didn't care what she did. She wished her parents actually cared enough to know her friends and what she was doing. Her parents never attended any functions at school. Because they didn't care she felt there was no need to study or get good grades. She wished her parents were more like her friend Emily's. She felt that even though her parents were strict that they still cared about her.

Emily doesn't understand why her friend Sam would ever want the type of parents she has. She wants to switch places with Sam because she doesn't have to follow any rules and can pretty much do whatever she wants whenever she wants. 

Emily decides that she will not follow in her parents parenting style because she feels it's not fair. Parents should give their children rules to abide by but, they should also be allowed to do fun things and enjoy the different stages of growing up. As a parent she feels that supporting and encouraging your child to listen and do as their told will help shape them into the person they will grow up to be. But, in the same sense that they will have to pay the consequences if they disobey.