Unspoken Words: What Students Wish They Could Say to Their Parents

The relationship between students and their parents can be a complicated or healthy one, as it varies from student to student. We asked Rangers for a week what they wish they could say to their parents.

By: Isabella Guijarro

The act of communicating is the sending of information from one person to another. Communication can also be in the form of facial expressions, which can send more of a message than spoken words. They can come across as positive or negative.

Being able to communicate openly between a child and a parent is important because not only does it build trust between the two, but it also shows that they are comfortable sharing information.

Many things often get unspoken between a student and parent due to several factors, which often leave a weight on students’ shoulders when left unspoken.

We collected data on the topic of what students wish they could say to their parents, and with the help of twenty-four students, some of the most common topics shared were desire for more trust or freedom, struggles with mental health or emotional expression, gratitude or love towards parents, communication issues, desire for parental understanding, judgment or lack of support from parents, and finally academic pressure

The most common out of all of these was the desire for more trust or freedom, and most of the sharers decided to stay anonymous. There are multiple expressions of the desire for better communication between students and their parents. They wish for their parents to understand that they can trust their child and shouldn’t be holding them back.

One student says, “I wish I could tell my parents how much I’m struggling mentally. I want to tell them, but I can’t find the right words or the right time. And at this point, I feel like maybe I’m just not sick/unwell enough to actually get help.”

Emma Prouty, ‘28, says, “I wish I could tell my parents that you shouldn’t put your anger or frustration towards your own child. Instead, we should be able to communicate with each other and not shut other people down because of how you feel in the moment. Communication is a very important thing in life, and it can solve most of the problems you face.”

There were also a couple of  answers from students that expressed their gratitude for their parents and all they had done for them.

Another student says, “I wish I can say to my parents that I love them and they are the reason I am in this world and without them I’d be no one. I wish I can explain in words how much I love them, but if that was the case then I’d go on forever and so that’s why it is as simple as an orange growing in a tree, without the tree there is no orange, without my parents there is no me.”

Lariah Lopez, ‘28, says, “I wish I could tell them that they are doing a great job as parents, and that I wish I’d been closer to them in my 7-8th grade years. I mostly wish I could tell my mom that she’s like my hero, because she’s the one who showed me Christ and started taking me to church.”

Students also feel that having a good relationship with their parents is important because it can help them grow closer and feel like they always have someone to support them and talk to. 

One student says, “I think having a good relationship with your parents is important because the more you push them away, the more you’ll regret it later on when they’re gone. Making memories and having a relationship with your parents is good, because you’ll know you have someone there to support and love you throught your whole life.”

Another student says, “I think it’s really important to have a good relationship with your parents. As a teen, you are learning a lot of new things, and you are introduced to so many new ideas, it’s significant to have an older adult or someone to ask for advice from. A good relationship with your parents can help build trust, and good mental health while at home.”

In all many students desire a good relationship with their parents and want to be able to confide in them, but some of these words are hard to say even when having a good relationship. Communication is key when it comes to any kind or relationship, from parent to child and partner to partner. 

“I would tell them thanks for everything that they’ve done for me, and even though I cannot understand all of it, I know that it is a big sacrifice,” says another student.

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