Expectations of Friends and Family

I recently had the opportunity to ask some family and friends what they expected of me.  When asked, my friend Matt responded, “I expect you to be a good friend and to do well in school.”  This was not very shocking because this is what I expect out of him and myself.  First off, we both expect each other not to be complete jerks to each other.  That is a given, but we expect that of each other as friends.  He also expects me to do well in school.  This is mainly because I have done so in the past, so nothing less is anticipated. 

When asked the same question, my dad told me that he expected me “to do well in your classes, participate in extracurricular or sporting activities, and to prepare yourself for college and the rest of your life.”  Once again, this came as no surprise because I’ve picked up this information throughout my life; I just have never had to ask directly.  As his child, I feel like I need to fulfill his expectations, so I try to do my best every day, whether it is in soccer, baseball, orchestra, or school.

Of course, my mom’s expectations were very similar to my dad’s.  She told me that she expected me “to do your best, to work hard, and to be a good person.”  Much of this comes from how she was raised.  As a kid, my mom was a star athlete and student.  Throughout her educational career, she received nothing below a 4.0 GPA.  Her reasoning is that if she could do it, than so can I, so I do my best to do well on my tests, assignments, and in my sports.  The reason I am expected to be a good person is derived from our religion.  As a Catholic family, we are all expected to be accepting to others and to be nice to our acquaintances.

Through my interviews of my friends and family, I found a couple common themes in everyone’s expectations.  They are to do well in school, and to be a good person.  This is no surprise because they are what I expect of myself in life.