As usual, we're sitting at the dinner table. The food's too good so there's no talking for a good ten minutes. Then all of a sudden Mom pipes up-

'You know what I saw today at the university campus? Two youngsters smoking cigarettes on the campus bench. God help kids these days man.'

'I know', says Dad. ' The generation today is a complete mess. In my days we'd come straight home from college! I really pity these poor parents ya. Why, these days they hang out with their dates all over the place. Disgusting.'

It was then I felt like saying, 'but Dad, your friend Vijay uncle is having an affair with Neetu aunty. I saw the two of them fooling around in her husband's car.' I pretended I saw nothing. Both are married to separate people and have their own children. In fact, Neetu aunty's daughter Nimisha is in my class and a close friend for years. I wish I could tell her that I saw her own mother making out with a man who isn't her father. I feel torn in two because a part of me wants to tell her that she's being lied to and I can't bear to think of her face when she finds out. But another part of me says and knows that Nimisha would never believe me and telling her would simply result in an ugly fight. And of course I don't blame her for it.

See, these are people from the same tribe who curse today's banter of youth. Neither of the two cared about the tremendous heartbreak it would cause to their own wife and husband respectively. They could die of a broken heart for all they care and it would still make no difference. Nor did they care about the irreparable damage they'll cause to their children whom they gave birth to. Those children, who are so proud of their parents and look up to them in all times of need. Throughout their parents taught them that they were meant to be together forever and marriage is a sacred bond. Why teach them the right thing when you're doing something wrong?

We, the kids of today are labelled as 'cheap' and 'value- lacking' because we have dates. But at least, the guy cares about his girlfriend and the girl cares for her guy. At least they make sure not to hurt each others' feelings. I'm not saying that it's meant to last forever or one of them may not turn out to be bad, or that summer flings and 'time-pass' relationships don't exist. But we do play safe with people's emotions.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not in a civil war against my parents and their beliefs. In fact there are some points on which I do agree with them. Take smoking and drugs for example. What mom said about kids into smoking these days is absolutely valid. Kids ruin their health and growing body at an early age by exposing them to nicotine. Smoking causes cancer ( Yeah I know, I sound like those Gold Flake ads :D) and more importantly, causes loss of life. One of my friends lost her father to aneurysm when we were fifteen and I can't forget the trauma it caused to her and the electrifying shock it caused to me. Anyway, that's another story. Similar case is with drugs. Call me old fashioned, but I have absolutely no clue as to why they find that high so attractive. All they do in the night is stagger, slur, vomit or do something stupid that involves two people (or more). I'm actually thankful to my parents for forbidding me from this stuff when I see sixteen year olds with nasty meth habits and smack hangovers.

And even drinking is a terrible habit. The point is, that its ok when it's done in a limit and that's exactly what people forget. Trust me, it hasn't even been a week since I read about a car accident involving four DU students. All of them were killed, except for the driver who's heart and lungs were saved from getting crushed because of the airbag. She was nineteen and drunk out of her skull, and so were the other three boys who died on impact as the car ran over a divider.

This is where I agree with my parents. But what I disagree with is labelling my entire generation as useless, good-for-nothing people who are only cooped up in their own baseless interests. We mustn't forget, that there was a time when the youth got this country free and its the youth who's protecting us at the borders at their own expense. Neither are people from our generation bad, nor are people from the previous generation good. People can be good or bad, but before that they're unique and somebody's behaviour or conduction does not depend on the generation they belong to.

Last but not the least, our parents love us the most and we love them back equally. It doesn't take a detective to figure out that we're capable of sacrificing a lot of stuff to keep each other happy, and we have. It's just that, neither is ready to accept each other's differences and we start ranting the moment something doesn't appeal to us. All we have to do is remember that we all are different and we must accept and face it, which in any case doesn't mean neglecting their advice. It's just a way of being better friends.

'You know, I'd really like to be a part of the world you're lost in', says Dad. Mom starts laughing.

'Sure, Dad. Be my guest....'

Hey guys!! Let me know in the comments if you can add on and if you agree with this column :D