Irealltdonotcare,

My parents are very much the same way, with me and now also with my younger sister. We are in a lot of ways the same, and I usually understand how she's feeling because I've been there too

My parents, like yours, don't know how to handle it. My dad will tease and make fun, my mom will tell us how miserable we look and ask us if we're really "that" unhappy. As a result I turned to hiding in my room quite often for years, and now so does my little sister "Ann". Since I've been doing it longer then her, I realize that this habit of hiding is not a healthy way of handling the situation, and I recommend not doing it. It has really destroyed my mental state in ways I never anticipated. I can hardly have a conversation with my family anymore.

If something or things are bothering you, instead of waiting for your parents to ask, I would suggest telling them. If you can't bring yourself to do that for whatever reason, then talk to a friend, family member, school councilor, or anyone you trust and tell them what you are feeling. If you can stop whatever is making you feel so down in the first place, than you won't have to worry about the issue with your parents.

At the same time, perhaps telling your parents how you feel about what they say will make them stop. I don't think my parents mean any harm when they say the things they do, and maybe your parents don't either. It is possible that they simply don't know that something is bothering you and aren't sure how to handle it. No loving parent likes to see their child unhappy, and they might just be trying to make you look happier, not realizing there is an actually problem and the way they are acting is not helping, but making it worse.

If talking to your parents doesn't help, like in my case, then I recommend going to someone you trust with whatever is getting you down. Just talking to someone in itself may help you feel better, which would result in you looking happier around your parents.

And remember, "Don't ever let anyone (or anything) dull your sparkle."

Whether it's whatever that is getting you down from day to day or your parents response to it, never let that steal your joy. Life is full of good moments and bad moments, and usually there are more bad moments than good ones.

That's why it's so important to always find the good, hold onto it, and always believe that more will come your way

I was once told that you are in charge of how you feel, but I don't believe that's necessarily true. When your parents say things that hurt your feelings, you can't help but be sad. But I do believe that we can overcome how we feel about things by getting a new perspective, and not focusing on the negative.

I hope this helped and if you ever want to talk, message me.

Love you!