I am a sophomore in high school and this past week i had a friend tell the mixed boy that i liked him and he called me that night and told me that he liked me too. I want to date him so badly and I have talked to my friends about it and they are fine with it, but the problem is that my parents are the ones that object. They do not want us to date and the only thing that i could think of as a rational explanation is because we are a well known family where i live and if people find out that I am dating a mixed boy that the may look down on the family. My mom doesn't care if i'm happy but she cares what other people think of the whole family. I am an individual and people need to realize that. I have to choose between my family and a boy that i LOVE. How am i supposed to choose. He is really sweet and i know he would treat me right. I just wish they would give him a chance. I don't want to disappoint my family but they shouldn't decide this for me. I need to make my own mistakes to learn, What should i do?

P.S. my parents said if i go behind their back they will yank me out of the school.