Daily Times

Growing up in Pakistan has its charm but growing up as a girl in Pakistan definitely wraps you all in chains.

A girl doesn’t need talent, ability, beauty, brains, intellect or luck to be successful. Rather, she needs permission to be successful in Pakistan.

The whole idea of permission from parents is either foreign to the foreigners or they term it to be “an over-protective disorder” that the desi parents are suffering from.

But no matter what, we truly adore our desi parents for their overbearing care because they love us.

The most relatable struggle of every girl’s life is to find ways to convince their parents to grant them permission.

Let’s take a look at five of those situations where all the girls can relate to the struggle.

1) When a girl wants to go play outside with her friends or take a stroll down the park,

Your mother would never allow you to go outside to play because ‘bachi khraab hojaye gyi’. Your mother would let you go to the park only if you take along your brother as your bodyguard or else, ‘Akeli lardki ko koe kidnap kerlay ga’.

2) When a girl decides to get a stylish haircut

The struggle is real when you have to convince your mother that you need to try a different look, give yourself a makeover. Maybe dye your hair to different shades of red and turn a few heads, while you descend through the crowd, leaving everyone mesmerised as your hair glows to the shade of red but WAIT!

Did you just start daydreaming again about being the ‘it girl’ of your college?

Get back to the reality, girly. Your mom won’t let you get a haircut because have you forgotten k log kya kahay gay? What if your look doesn’t get your anymore rishtas? And have you forgotten the snorty laugh of your piggy aunties that ridicule every inch of your appearance.

3) When a girl wants to go out with her friends to party or a concert:

Party? What party? Desi parents don’t have that word in their dictionary. They don’t believe in parties. Desi parents start to judge every single friend of yours; reminding you of all their bad habits that doesn’t even bother you. However, they try all their best to make sure you don’t ever plan a hangout to a party with your friend because you know; she’s way tootez and chalaak and will get you in trouble.

4) When a girl wants to go out on a college trip

The minute you manage all the very courage to butter your parents to convince them for a college trip, their mind trips and they flip out. Either they bombard you with spiritual lectures that include “Hum log both mazhabi hain, larkiyon ko ghar se bahir raat guzarnay ki ijazat nae humaray mazhab may” or morality blackmail, which is something like, “Tumhy ma baap ki izzat ka zara khayal nae?”

At the end, their self-respect concern narrows down to “relatives ko pata chala toh who kya sochay gay?”

5) When a girl decides to be more career-oriented and wants to continue with her studies rather than get hitched:

There’s a reason desi weddings hype remains intact until now. I think that there’s a chance that every desi parent feels like the whole point of existence revolves around getting married. That does explain why parents are so over concerned about their beti ka rishta.

So the very moment a girl reveals that she doesn’t want to get married and instead desires the permission to continue with her studies, you see the dreams of your desi parents shattering down, inch by inch. All they manage to say is, “Umer dekhi hai apni? Budhi hogyi ho.” As that doesn’t really affect us as much as it affects them, they declare, “Kal ko koi nahi shaadi kerega tumsey.”

Obviously, even that doesn’t shatter our passion for studies, so they aim higher and drag out their ultimate emotional weapon.

“Kal ko hum mar jaye gay. Tumhara kon khayal rakhayga?”–that, my dear friends hits right in the feels.