Dear Sadichha,
I am a 24-years-old guy from Pokhara. I am originally from Kathmandu but I am studying engineering here. I did engineering without my interest. My parents were saying it’d get profit if I become an engineer. However, now I really want to drop out. I don’t know how to confront my parents.

I know that the fear of disappointing our parents is immense and the pressure of trying not to let them down is overwhelming. However, as human beings, we need to prioritize ourselves. There has to be a balance between fulfilling what your parents want and your sanity. Hence, I suggest that you sit down with your parents and have a conversation, tell them what you’re going through, tell them how you feel.  It is just that you need to get over these thoughts of “what might happen”, gather all the guts that you have and ask your parents to sit with you one evening and slowly explain to them how you have been feeling recently and the reasons of dropping out. As parents, I am sure they will be in your favor. However, I also do suggest and hope that you do have a backup plan. I hope that you have thought about what you want to do next.  Talking to your parents with the backup plan that you have and sharing what would you like to do next will be very helpful to convince them. Also, it would also make them feel like the future of their son is not in the dark.

Dear Sadichha,
I am 16-years-old girl, studying in grade X. I am a weak student but I really want to progress in academics. There are coaching classes in my school but my parents think of it as a waste of money. I literally don’t understand any mathematics problems. I really want to study and progress but they are not ready to invest. Please tell me what to do.

I think this is the first time I am hearing about parents who don’t believe in coaching classes. Growing up, I have always heard of parents who really push their children to get extra coaching classes to better themselves.  If you feel like you need those extra coaching classes to better understand certain subjects then I suggest you talk to the school and let your teachers talk to your parents. I think that your teachers will be able to convince your parents in this regards. However, I also suggest you to look at other options. Maybe you can sit down with friends who understand those subjects better than you do and can learn from them. The other option is the internet. There are many videos where you can learn about different theories and Mathematics. The internet can be your teacher.

Dear Sadichha,
I am a guy who works at one of the reputed companies of Kathmandu. I started 2 years back. Now, I am 21. Living alone with a late salary is one of the hardest things. I haven’t paid rents of 2 months because the company hasn’t paid me yet. I even applied for other jobs but I got nothing but rejections from it. I don’t know what to do.

It is very challenging to live alone in the capital. As you mentioned that you’re working at one of the reputed companies of Kathmandu, I suggest you talk to the HR about the late payments and how it is affecting your daily life. It is good that you are looking for other jobs as well. I know it can get very frustrating and the will to try often disappears easily. I know that it is easier said than done. Don’t give up. Try harder. Try again. Practice patience and I promise you, the fruit of that will be sweet. Ask around amongst friends who are working in other companies to let you know about vacancies if there are any. Look into the many online portals that have vacancies and apply everywhere. I am sure you’ll hear back from some. Good luck.

Dear Sadichha,
I am 19, female and I have a die-hard interest in playing football. Apparently, people think football is not for female. My parents and relatives also believe that. I know I am good but due to them, I have not been able to continue my passion. I don’t how to talk with my parents so that they’d allow me. I am already tired of sneaking to play.

You have to make a distinction between your passion and your career. I believe that you do go out to play football frequently. As a parent, I can see why that might be a problem, at 19 many parents want their children to just focus on the studies. I know that it is not the perfect way to look at things but at 19, there are many things that can distract us. I feel like if you segregate the time to study and to play, your parents will be more receptive towards letting you go for football training and matches. However, if you focus more on this and less on your studies like any other teenager, then they will also act like typical parents and be strict towards you and football. 

(You can send the questions to Sadichha Shrestha at mycity@myrepublica.com and gennext@myrepublica.com with using 'Dear Sadichha' subject.)