Open Letter to all Parents

Dear Parents,
The main thing I'd like to tell you all is "Let them." Let them stay out till 4 AM. Let them have a week-long sleepover. Let them fail a class. Let them take the train at two in the morning. Let them get a job. Let them have the house to themselves for an entire weekend. Let them learn.
By a certain age, there's not more teaching that you can do. At that point, it is up to your kids to figure things out on their own. And you should let them, no matter how much of a fail you know it's going to be. Clearly, they don't think it will, so give them a chance to prove you wrong. Give them your opinion, tell them why you think something is a bad idea but in the end don't tell them to not do it. No matter how stupid. If they want to do something, there's a reason behind it, even if that reason may just be "It's fun." Let them have their fun then, no matter what they consider to be fun. Sure, sometimes it really may be the worst idea in the entire world, but they'll learn. Maybe it'll turn out okay, and then both you and them may learn that that something was not in fact stupid.
Don't worry about us. We have a way of getting out of situations and if we know that you're trustworthy and won't get mad because we're not making the best choices, maybe we'll even ask you for help if we need it. And if we don't ask for help, don't worry either: we're working it out and you don't have to know everything. If we see that you're okay with us trying random things, there's a possibility that we'll tell you a bit more about ourselves. And whatever we may tell you, be okay with it. Offer your opinion but don't do anything. Chances are, if we really did do something bad, then we already learned from the situation and now know either A) don't do it again or B) do it differently or C) how to not get caught doing that again.
Yes, you have more life experience than us. But that doesn't affect us in any way. We have to have our own life experience, the whole "learn from your mistakes." And not everything that was a mistake for you, has to be a mistake for us. Somethings will work out for us, even if they didn't for you or anyone else that you know.
But the thing is, let us because even if you don't, we'll still figure out a way to do what we wanted to do. The difference is whether you'll make it easier and help us out (hint: don't stay up waiting for us to come home, we eventually will) or whether we'll have to do it all in secrecy. And once you start letting us do more, still don't expect us to tell you everything. And don't do the "I told you so," because we remember what you said.
So let us.
Sincerely,
a daughter

Civic Duty: All People Should

There are some things that are expected of all people, things like simple manners, saying please and thank you, and so on. But then there are things that the government expects of us, such as voting, serving on a jury, signing a petition, paying taxes, volunteering. I think it is completely natural of the government to expect such things from us. After all, we are citizens of this country and not another. That is why all people should participate in the responsibilities that come with being a citizen of a country. These responsibilities also allow us to take part in the government. We're lucky that we can sign petitions, protest, and vote, so we should take advantage of these opportunities that many other people in other countries don't have. Civic duty is a way of showing that we are grateful for having these responsibilities. Along with these government-related activities, we should also remember to respect the rights of others. Just because we have the freedom of speech and a lot more freedoms than other people, doesn't mean that we can abuse that power, which is why we're also expected to be respectful. We should help others when we see that they need it, starting with simple things such as giving up your seat for elders, pregnant women, or anyone who needs it more than you,  or holding the door for others or saying thank you when someone does something nice for you. Sometimes people forget common courtesy and I think being courteous is included in civic duty.

Of course the government also shouldn't abuse its power. Just like citizens should respect each other, the government should respect its citizens. It can do so by listening to citizens' concerns and reacting to their needs and demands.

We've all heard the "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" thing, and even though it doesn't always work, we can hope that others will notice the example we're setting and remember their responsibilities. And even if they don't, we can do nice things simply because they feel good.