Dear Dish-It: My Parents Don’t Support Me

Apr 16, 2012

Dear Dish-It,

I’ve always wanted to be a singer. A close friend of mine says my singing is very good. But I don’t want to sing to my parents; they aren’t supportive at all. What should I do?

Gigalith

My Parents Don't Support My Singing Career

Dear Gigalith,

It sounds like you have some real talent, and I think it’s great that you have a dream of becoming a singer; I say go for it!

Of course, having the support of your parents is always nice. It kind of sounds like you’ve decided your parents won’t support your dream before you’ve even tried talking to them or showing them that you can really sing. And, unfortunately, you’ll never really know what they think (or whether or not they will support you) until you try.

So put your fears aside and sit down for a heart-to-heart with your mom and dad. Tell them what your goal is and show them what you can do. Ask them if they’d be willing to support you, and be sure to let them know how badly you want it; it may even help to do some research on singing schools or talent competitions beforehand to show them exactly how you plan to achieve your goal.

If your parents don’t seem very supportive after all that, you may just have to accept that this is something you might have to do on your own – at least the first few steps. Maybe you could find another friend or adult to help you – a favorite aunt or a teacher at school. You can also join a glee club or a school choir, start a band with your friends or enter some local singing or talent competitions to show your parents that you are really serious about singing! Or how about starting your own YouTube Channel, with videos of yourself singing some of your fave songs? Hopefully your mom and dad will see all the hard work that you’re doing on your own, and will eventually come around and support you in your dreams.

Good luck!