Graduated college and just now starting a rebellious attitude

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was catching up with a cousin who just graduated college and is heading overseas. They were telling me all about their one night stands from the summer, showing me their new piercings, and told me about their plans to dye their hair green before they leave. Side note, they are heading to the ME where none of this will be accepted like it is here.

I had so many things running through my mind as they were telling me everything. Overall I was quiet, just telling myself we were really at different stages of life. With that said I never reached this level of rebellion and everyone grew up by the time they graduated. This one just seems to have just started the freedom-train.

So honest question, what is with it when it starts as soon as college ends? Is it short? I'll take any stories. I've managed to talk them out of dying all of their hair, just one small section... for the sake of style. I'm more worried about this newfound attitude mixed with where they're about to go.

As someone from Jordan, which a a very very progressive country, if your cousin is female, this is most definitely not acceptable in that culture. Hopefully she won't learn a cultural lesson the hard way. The Mid East is a unforgiving place where justice is harsh for transgressions.

Only saf place for this is Tel Aviv

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was catching up with a cousin who just graduated college and is heading overseas. They were telling me all about their one night stands from the summer, showing me their new piercings, and told me about their plans to dye their hair green before they leave. Side note, they are heading to the ME where none of this will be accepted like it is here.

I had so many things running through my mind as they were telling me everything. Overall I was quiet, just telling myself we were really at different stages of life. With that said I never reached this level of rebellion and everyone grew up by the time they graduated. This one just seems to have just started the freedom-train.

So honest question, what is with it when it starts as soon as college ends? Is it short? I'll take any stories. I've managed to talk them out of dying all of their hair, just one small section... for the sake of style. I'm more worried about this newfound attitude mixed with where they're about to go.

As someone from Jordan, which a a very very progressive country, if your cousin is female, this is most definitely not acceptable in that culture. Hopefully she won't learn a cultural lesson the hard way. The Mid East is a unforgiving place where justice is harsh for transgressions.

Only saf place for this is Tel Aviv

+1


My husband is Kuwaiti and they're very judgemental over there. I would worry about your cousins getting raped. You didn't mention where in the middle east they're going though? Anyone who willingly goes to the middle east is bat shit crazy though. You have a lot more to worry about than one night stands and green hair!

[Anonymous]

I'd say that it's the result of overly strict parents--the kind who would lose their minds (and possibly withdraw funding tuition) if their kid did something terrible like dye their hair or get a tattoo. So the kid toes the line during college and only now has a chance to run a little wile.

[Anonymous]

They're not fully supporting themselves financially, I'm guessing. If they are, then they find out that decisions to look like an outliner may come with actual loss of financial opportunity. Doors close. If they are fully supporting themselves financially, it's a real MYOB issue. It does you no good to ruminate over it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They're not fully supporting themselves financially, I'm guessing. If they are, then they find out that decisions to look like an outliner may come with actual loss of financial opportunity. Doors close. If they are fully supporting themselves financially, it's a real MYOB issue. It does you no good to ruminate over it.

Actually, I'd bet they are finally free of the parental purse strings. I bet that the parents were strict and threatened to withhold money for tuition if the kid did something that violated their rules, and now that college is over and paid for, their kid can finally try out some things. I bet s/he settles down reasonably quickly, and while s/he might end up with a piercing or two, it won't be that big of a deal.

[Anonymous]

Let it go and just be a resource for your cousin to chat with if s/he needs advice. If life sucks in the new country, the cousin will learn to adjust his/her rebelliousness or will move. If cousin is in the US military, s/he likely won't have much independent one on one contact with local people anyway. This is a learning experience for your cousin, let him/her learn.