From about the time we hit puberty and peer acceptance becomes even more important than before, we are often told to not care about what others say or think about us. And many of us live by that motto: I don't care what anyone thinks about me. But is that really true?

Should we not care what our neighbors think? Should we not care what our parents, siblings, family, or teachers think of us? After all, a lot of the previously mentioned hold, to an extent, part of our future in their hands. I, personally, think that it is an exaggeration when someone says, "I don't care what anyone thinks of me." If that is so, why are people so concerned with behaving properly in the particular situations at hand? "I don't want my boss to think I'm irresponsible", "I don't want my teacher to think I'm dumb", "I don't want my boyfriend to think I'm am 'easy.'" Whether we realize it or not, we all care about what AT LEAST one person thinks. So the question, to me, really becomes, how much influence do we let people have upon us?

Does authority, say a boss or a teacher, have more or less influence than a friend or sibling? How much do their opinions affect us and/or change our way of thinking?

From personal experience this weekend, I found that my mom has more influence on me than anybody else, including my boyfriend. How much does her opinion change my way of thinking? It changes it a lot. More than I wish it did. I think I care a little TOO much about what she has to say. And all this came from a shirt.

On Saturday, my boyfriend and I went to the store and I bought a shirt. I thought it was very pretty and my boyfriend seemed to like it, too. I was really excited and I was planning what I could wear with this particular shirt. When I got home and showed it to my mom, she said that it was nice..but wasn't a little tight? That simple question was enough to immediately dampen my enthusiasm for the shirt. The next day I went back to the store and asked for a refund. When I got home, my mom asked me what I ended up doing with it. I told her I asked for a refund and she said she was sorry she had made that comment. She said she would be more careful with what she said to me...I really hope she follows through on that. She also said not to take everything she says to me to heart, that she will make mistakes, too.

Point of the matter is, why did I let her opinion impact my point of view so much? Well, to be honest, I'm not exactly sure. I can, however, say that perhaps I care a little too much about what people think about me. And I LET others influence me more that they should. My mom won't ever purposely steer me wrong, but she will be wrong. She knows me well..but a lot of our values and views differ. Is it that I'm so open minded that I'll be willing to take everything people say into consideration, or is it that I don't trust my own judgment...?