What’s It Like Having Super Strict Parents?

I came up in a household that I think a lot of people would describe as fairly strict. It was one of those American Midwestern very very Christian in that extremely-offputting-from-an-outside-perspective kind of ways.

Looking back I have mixed feelings that I could fill pages and pages with, but I think it’ll be more interesting if we get some takes from multiple people who have been through the whole “strict parent” thing.

Here are ten real, anonymously submitted perspectives.

10. Authoritarian

It can be hard to get a sense of what freedom is.

9. A nice excuse

“Can’t, mom said no.”

8. It goes on and on

This is what happens when it’s less about nurture and more about power.

7. A matter of perspective

These are the cycles that have to first be recognized in order to be stopped.

6. Too much freedom?

You don’t wanna let them ruin themselves.

5. The lockdown

Who? What? When? Where? Why? How many? How come?

4. Better late than never

Parents, just know, eventually they’ll get access to the thing you forbid.

3. Nothing going on

I can feel the angst radiating off of this one.

2. Uninvolved

The pressure mounts and you just wanna go.

1. It all goes somewhere

Woof.

I don’t have all the answers on parenting (or…any of them), but we have to remember empathy and respect. Without it, all you breed is resentment.

What was your upbringing like?

Tell us about it in the comments.