No matter how close we are to our parents, there are always things left unsaid—thoughts we bury, feelings we suppress, and truths we hesitate to share. When given the chance to express themselves anonymously, several students and teachers answered a simple but powerful question: What’s something you wish you could tell your parents but can’t?

The responses were raw, heartbreaking, and, at times, uplifting. Some spoke of deep regrets, unresolved pain, or the need for validation. Others wished they could share their love more freely or reveal parts of themselves they felt their parents would never understand. 

“I wish I could tell them they are not always right and can be unreasonable. Also, I am older than they act like I am, but they are not easy to reason with.”

“I wish that I could tell my mom to stop being so manipulative every time I say anything to her.”

“I wished I could’ve told them that I wished that I could’ve been a little more perfect I wished I could’ve been great without no illness I wished I could’ve succeeded in life for myself.”

“I would tell them that I wish I will never be anything like them because it‘s draining to always fight with them and I know I would be better off without them.”

“I wish I could tell my mom how much she hurts me and my sister when she’s angry. She likes to call us names and will just scream and yell until we’re in tears. She’s called me ‘useless’ and has told me that I will not amount to anything before. That one hurt really bad.”

“One thing I wish I could tell my parents would be how much I appreciate them trying to make me happy, no matter the circumstance. They go out of their way to satisfy whatever weird food craving I’m having that day. It’s nice.”

“I wish I could tell my parents about my struggles. My family always worried about my sister more than me so I learned to take care of myself from a young age. I was considered an ‘easy’ kid so I just figured out how to deal with my problems myself.”

“I’m not doing bad stuff when I hang out with my friends; they wouldn’t believe me [because] I used to do it.”

“I wish I could tell my mom that her passive-aggressive guilt tripping only makes her children and grandchildren stay away; it doesn’t make us want to be around more. I can’t verbalize this to her because it will crush her spirit and I don’t want to be the cause of that, no matter how correct I am.”

“I’m sorry that I’m not as good as you wanted me to be. But I am who I am and I am better than your expectations. I am myself, not the mold you had for me.”

“The one thing I wish I could tell my mom is that even though I’ve disappointed her so much and we have our days and we never really get along is that I love her so much and that no matter what she’s still my mom and I couldn’t ask anyone for more than that.”

“For my mom and stepdad, I wish I could tell my parents how much it hurts me the way I am treated. I can’t tell them this because it would just cause a fight.”

“They were the best parents I could ask for but I still resent them for never seeing the sign that I gave them that I was being abused”

“That I miss them (they kicked me out).”

“I want you to see that I’m not happy but I’m trying really hard to do this all for myself. I don’t want to be the forgotten child just because I’m the ‘easy one’ and having all this attention on me because I’m trying to go to college makes me feel like I’m being paraded around to show off to family. None of it feels genuine and it hurts.”

The desire for understanding, acceptance, and love is universal. Whether it’s unspoken gratitude, lingering pain, or the fear of disappointment, so many of us carry words we wish we could say but never do.

While not every conversation is easy, and not every parent is open to hearing these truths, this collection of responses serves as a reminder that we are not alone in our silence. Maybe, just maybe, some of these words will find their way to the people they were meant for. And if not, at least they remind us to listen more closely—to our parents, to our children, and to ourselves.