I’m a 17-year-old guy about to graduate high school. For most of high school, I was extremely ambitious—I dreamed of becoming a tech CEO and getting into one of the best engineering programs in the country. My parents pushed me hard to succeed, so from grades 9 to 11, I spent nearly all my time studying, doing extracurriculars, and working on projects. I rarely went out, missed parties, and ended up completely burnt out by grade 11—overweight, stressed, and exhausted.

In grade 12, I decided to finally enjoy life a little. I went to parties, made great friends, and felt like a normal teen for once. In first semester, I was still doing well academically while balancing my social life. But second semester was harder. My dream program I applied to had two admission rounds—one in March, one in May. I didn’t get in during March, even though I had the marks and extracurriculars, and it crushed my confidence. I lost all motivation, and my grades dropped. So for the May round, I have a much lower chance of getting in, since the March round consisted of my grade 11 and 12 marks, while the May round will be grade 12 sem 1 and sem 2 midterm marks.

Since then, my parents and I have been fighting constantly. They think I’ve changed, that I’m not trying, and they throw tutoring costs and grades in my face. I admit I didn’t give it my all, but I just wanted to breathe for once. I’ve been under a lot of stress and even cried daily, but they don’t seem to care about how I feel—only about school. When I asked for time off, they laughed at my mental health or vented their own problems, saying I never ask about them. My mom even said I’m part of the reason she’s unhappy.

Looking back, I do feel bad for not understanding their struggles sooner. I probably seemed selfish for only talking about my problems. But is it wrong to lose that ambition? I don’t want to be the “next big thing” anymore—I just want a decent life with a good job and time to enjoy it. I know I might regret not trying harder later, but right now, I don’t. I just feel like I’ve disappointed them. AITAH in this situation against my parents?