I feel very hesitant posting this. I pray that anyone who relates to this will be delighted knowing they aren't alone.

Let me start first by saying to you all that this is not about the cute, soft, irrelevant nonsense like my parents telling me that I can't "go out with my friends" go to parties, deal with girls, or anything of that nature. I'm not interested in stuff like that. That sludge doesn't even faze me. I'm not complaining about "strict parenting" either. I'm asking if I'm alone on this level of helicopter parenting.

I'm 16m, I grew up homeschooled all my life. I go to school from home, (online private school where I'm the only student in most of my classes) and I have no hobbies outside of school, so I am tied down to two things; doomscrolling Instagram, and pottery. Sounds like the dream, but it gets old very very quickly. Yes, I read as well. I am involved with the NOI, so I have to read a lot, but the books I read are more "'bout business" and research than they are about passing time, so the seriousness takes the fun out of it. I'm affiliated with the NOI, but I'm not an official member until I turn 18 and have to start processing. You can register at 16, but you need written consent from a guardian since you're still a minor at 16. You can guess from here whether or not I have a guardian's consent. SMH... Why did they not sign the consent for the greatest program in which a black man can involve himself? I don't want to talk about that now. Not now.

The house gets noisy at times, quite literally all the time. That's why I asked if I could take the bus to the library to do my homework not even 2 miles away. The reason I was told no was because "there are homeless people sleeping in the library." I think that's quite irrational. It's hot as Satan's crack (pardon my expression) in the summer and cold as a witch's saliva in the winter, and they have no place to warm up. These are human beings that are burning and freezing. Of course they'll be inside a warm/cool library for refuge.

Not everyone who is homeless is going to be crazy, on drugs, or gonna shank me anyway, and even if they are, what difference does it make if my mom or dad is there? How are either of them going to protect me? It makes no sense to me. Most of the homeless are just at low points in their lives. Not all of them are crazy or crackheads. They're just going through trials, and they will pass them if they persevere. We all go through tough times... I hate how people try to put homeless people into some little category where they are not equal to everyone else.

I'm also big into health and fitness. I gave up fast food when I was 12 and haven't eaten it since, and I gave up meat (except fish) in November. My favorite workout is running. Running is right up there with pullups for me. I like the freedom that I feel while running. I have to ask my parents if I could go jogging. I would have preferred around the neighborhood, but I was told just up the street and back because someone could "do something to me." If I'm too far. (Still in the neighborhood by the way) I can't go around the neighborhood because apparently someone could "kidnap me." My mom gave an example of someone telling me to get inside his car, telling me the house is on fire, but then I end up in the dude's driveway. I didn't ask her this because it's a smartalec response, but I wanted to ask, even if I was dull enough to get inside a stranger's car, what is he going to do next, pick me up and take me inside?

That story brings me back to the funeral story. I was at my Uncle's funeral. What a joy to be around my Uncle! It was a shame he was taken away by a disease as ugly as cancer. May God be pleased 😔🕊🤲🏾 Ameen. During repass, they needed help taking out garbage, so I just volunteered to help. Mind you, this repass is in the cafeteria of a middle school in the middle of the woods. I know almost no one here because I rarely see this side of the family. No worries though, it's a repass, I am 15 years old at the time, old enough to go on the side of a middleschool in broad daylight to dump some garbage bags into the garbage can. However; my dad told me to sit down and stop trying to help out, because if I went outside, I could "easily get snatched up." I disagree with my dad. It's just simple as this; no I couldn't "easily get snatched up" at 15 years old on the side of a middle school in the country during repass. And I'm sure anyone can agree with me on that.

This is only a couple of examples of my parents' helicopter parenting. This is intense, and I might even regret posting this. However; do not say anything slick or off about my mom or my dad. I will ask the mods to ban you if you do. Keep everything respectful, because its not like they are abusive or neglectful, they just smother me. I'm not here to slack talk my parents with you, I'm asking if I'm alone on the smothering or not. Be respectful.

I know I am blessed for having two parents alive, together, and who care about me, and I am eternally grateful for this life. 🤲🏾 However; some of this stuff is absolutely wild. They are just doing entirely too much. I feel like a plant that needs to be repotted. I took all the nutrients from my old soil, and I have outgrown my old pot. I'm ready for a bigger pot now, and new, fresh soil. I've outgrown that old stuff from when I was a little child, and I'm ready to take on bigger things now. I don't ask for the BS like parties, girls, or to hangout with my friends. I have no friends to "hang out" with. I'm not even interested in that silly, immature stuff that people call cool. I am only interested in the important stuff. The problem is that they are too attached and stuck at me being a little child 5 years ago to realize that. There's more stuff to this, but I just want to know, am I alone on this helicopter parenting? Please share your stories. 🤲🏾