Phenomenon-Protecting our Parents

It is a common phenomenon for children of immigrant parents to feel that we have to protect our parents and shield them from the challenges we have in our lives. It sounds odd, namely because parents are suppose to shield their children. However, since our everyday life is so different than that of our parents, we feel that sharing our challenges with them will simply be a source of stress for them. In order to avoid being a source of stress to our parents, we choose to share only the triumphs and an occasional simple challenge--- provided it has already been resolved. This situation, of course, only elevates our own stress, since we are trying to navigate life on our own plus make it seem easy (and challenge-free) at the same time.