Setting Expectations

I have a question:

Why do we set expectations for other people?

My father has a thing that he says whenever we get upset, and it goes a little like this, "I had an unfulfilled expectation." This basically means that we set up an expectation of a person, event, product, journey, and any other thing in life, and it didn't go as we planned it. When you look at situations that way, you know that you can't always prepare yourself for how things will go, but that you also have no control over how situations will turn out. So I ask again:


Why do we set expectations for other people?

This also comes down to how we expect people to act. Your mother and father should love you and watch out for you, but we all know that somewhere in the world there's a mom or dad that it currently shooting up drugs next to their child. It's a sad reality, but it IS a reality. We also set up the expectation that our best friend should always be there for you, but we've all heard stories of best friends splitting up because one friend went for the other's love interest. And what about the infamous situation where a parent wants their son or daughter to grow up and not only be as good as them, but better? This can work in a good way too. What about the criminal that decides to change his life? Plenty of people expect him to go back to stealing, selling drugs, wrecking havoc, but aren't we all a little surprised when he's volunteering at a homeless shelter? So AGAIN:

Why do we set expectations for other people?

I challenge you, infinite internet readers, go ONE day without setting expectations. Can you do it? If you can't then pick someone in your life that you're not going to set expectations for. If they don't have the pressure coming from you, or anyone else for that matter, they just might surprise you.