Galaxy Zoo

Home Sweet Home

Dad had me standing in front of him. I showed him my latest exam where I received a grade of B. Despite it being one of the highest grades in the class, he was not satisfied. He told me that he expected that I would get an A. This was the same as he always said. Nothing below getting an A was acceptable. Despite that was one of the million times that my parents were not satisfied with me, it still hurt and I felt like screaming and crying. I studied hard for that exam, and the teacher even said that she was happy with the results. Of course, this did not mean that my Dad would be happy with them.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Laura and I am a 12-year-old girl even though many thought that I was much younger. I was not like other girls. I did not go dancing or do any sport. I went a lot to the library or studied at home. Otherwise, I did chores like dusting and washing floors. I cannot remember the last time that I went to the beach. My parents of relaxing were going to some museum where it was a productive experience and I would learn something.

My parents were career people and had very good jobs. They were also very materialistic and we lived in a designer house with the best furniture anyone could have. Things came easy to my parents. They were very intelligent and good looking. They thought that happiness was what a person could achieve in life. They were winners in everything they have done, which was good... as coming second place was the same as losing.

I was the only thing that they did not plan. Despite that they were so intelligent, they had no clue how to raise a girl. They expected me to be a carbon copy of themselves. It was like I was never allowed to be a child, I had to be a winner and a success like they were. I think that is why you would not find any toys in my room unless they were educational. The problem for my parents is that I was not like them. I was better than average at the things that mattered, but I was never the best.

I know it sounds like I am a complainer and feel sorry for myself. This is far from the truth. I lived in a good home and my parents did not hit me or starve me or abuse me in any way. I was proud of their achievements and I loved them more than anything. I am not complaining that they do not show their love and they cannot accept that I am not perfect. This was the family that God gave me. It was a better family than many children in the world!

After Dad had me standing attention, I went to my room and looked out the window. It was a lovely spring day and I could hear the birds singing. This made me smile. Despite that I did not get an A, the world was still smiling and telling me not to worry. Things would be fine.

Mom came in and told me that she looked at the exam result and wondered if I studied enough. She told me that she was quite confused as she thought that anyone could do this exam with their eyes closed. I tried telling her that I tried my best. Mom just sighed at this and said that was not good enough. Both her and Dad expected me to do a lot better the next time. There will be no excuses.

I tried to hug my mom. She got this strange look on her face as she thought I would hit her. She asked me if there was something wrong with me, and walked out. I do not know why I expected to get a hug. I never got a hug. Why would I start to get hugs now?

I lied when I told you that I was not complaining or whining. I do love my parents, it's just I was always unsure how much they loved me. I was unsure if they wanted me to be happy or did they just want me to be good at everything. There was no feelings or emotions in our family. It was all about hard work and results. Of course, I wanted to be like other families.

I cried myself to sleep that night.

The next day, I was at school and I knew that my parents wanted better grades, so at lunchtime, when the other children were in the playground, I was in the school library with a stack of books. Usually, time would fly by as I would bury my head in the books. I would enter another world, where I could be a princess in some history book or Africa studying about animals. I was not afraid of study, as it always took me away from reality. It was a place where I could find friends. It was a place where I could find peace.