Manipulation

manipulate: to manage or influence skillfully, especially in an unfair manner; to suit one's' purpose or advantage.

 There are times where I've shocked myself with my manipulative tendencies. Looking back over the past couple of years, I've noticed there are a countless number of times where I've manipulated a situation to get what I wanted. Three of the main ways I've found myself doing this are by failing to tell the whole truth, having emotional responses, and using guilt trips to make people feel bad. Its not only mean doing this either, everybody does it, teenage girls especially. When I go out with my friends, there is always at least one thing I know we're gonna do that my parents wouldn't approve of. So what do I do? When I ask them for permission, I just happen to leave out that little detail. What they don't know won't hurt them, right? And if they do happen to find out, I use the excuse "I didn't know". Being told "no", I hate it. I can't stand it. Call me a drama queen, my parents do, but I cry. I cry, and cry, and cry...until my parents get so annoyed by me they just tell me to go. I feel bad at first when I do this, but once I'm actually out the door its as if my own guilt never existed. Which brings us to our last manipulative technique, the guilt trip. You want to go to an after-prom party for example, but your mom feels its to "unsafe". What do you do? Chances are you'll throw a fit. "Well _____ got to go to a party after her prom!" We've all done, each and every one of us. We've all sat there and tried to use somebody else's doing as an example to help our your own situation. Does it work? More often then not, yes. But that doesn't mean its okay. Everyone always wonders why when they become a teenager, their relationship with their parents change drastically. I know mine did, but I ialso know why too. Manipulation. That's the curse.
We've all done it, we all still try to do it, and we will all use it in the near future.
Its a part of us, we can't help it. But you shouldn't overuse it, people will catch on. And in the end you may end up not having any friends because everyone will just believe they're being used or you're a liar.
So manipulate as often as you want, just make sure you watch your back when you do it.

Your Best Friend,
-J.Lew