We all know parents who will be forever overprotective of their child. It may take a lifetime to receive permission to attend a school dance, party, or go out at night with friends. Sometimes having a significant other is not even an option until a certain age (most parents say after college). The list can go on for what parents restrict their child from doing, especially if you live in a traditional, old fashion household.

Parents who are overprotective of their child, of course, come with good intentions. They do not want their child to be exposed to the negativity that is in the world today-- after all, every parent would want their child to live their life as smoothly as possible. But what happens with this helicopter parenting is a child who is restricted of life skills and the ability to deal with adversity.

Daily Mail

I am a victim of a sheltered childhood and overcoming it after eighteen years was the hardest obstacle. My journey begins when I was eleven years old - I entered the beauty womanhood and it scared my father to the point where he could not accept that I was growing up. Middle school is where everyone wants to fit in and be popular, it is a crucial time for a child because they experience heartbreak, bully, and self-consciousness. I remember entering middle school with the mentality of being included with the popular girls, being entirely insecure of my own body, and wanting a boy to like me.

Entering high school, my parents went from papa bears to papa dragons and I made sure to not include them in any of my 'extracurricular activities' in my life. My parents, especially my father, would not allow me to go out with my friends unless my mom came along. For example, my freshman year of high school I wanted to go watch a movie starring Paul Walker and my father's reaction was awful because he assumed that all I wanted to do in life was party with no goals or priorities. This type of mentality extended the rest of my high school experience and dealing with it was extremely challenging.

Throughout this journey dealing with being sheltered from the world, I felt like I was living a nightmare. I had no hope of my parents ever having any faith in me exposing me to society so I had to do it on my own. I would constantly lie to my parents to do things after school and eventually the guilt caught up to me. Unfortunately, it led to losing my parents' trust and that was a wake-up call to find another way to gain the independence I deserve. Joining varsity sports, student council, receiving academic honors helped me. This goal continued even when in my first year of college which was even a bigger test for both my parents and me.

What I used to call a horrible childhood, I now call a blessing because even though I complained and cried on most days - it made me who I am today. All the things my parents sheltered me from is understandable, but it allowed me to attain life skills by involving myself in clubs, volunteer groups, and pushing harder to get good grades. I am still learning as I go, but with the independence my parents have now given me, I am proud of all of us having faith in each other.