Ridiculous Rules from Strict Parents: A Collection of Stories
Parents often have strict rules in place to ensure their children's safety, discipline, and moral growth. However, some of these rules can be quite ridiculous and go beyond the ordinary. Join us as we collect and share stories from individuals who grew up with extreme and sometimes irrational rules from their strict parents.
Curfew and Unexpected Consequences
Case in point, a 17-year-old described her experience with strict curfews. She mentions the two-minute rule her mother imposed if she was even a minute late. On one occasion, she was climbing a challenging rocky hill to reach the park before her 6 PM curfew. Despite getting to the park and closing the door by 5:58 PM, her mother insisted she was two minutes late, leading to a five-day restriction. This story highlights the stringent nature of certain parental rules and their unexpected consequences.
Delayed Privileges and Milestones
Another parent shared a different set of rules imposed from a young age. The parent had no make-up or pantyhose until high school, No dating until turning 16, and no dances— not even in a church basement— until high school. This parent explains how these rules were seen as milestones, and because of them, their children could not enjoy privileges that their peers took for granted. Interestingly, the parent was not religious, but rather had a compulsive obsession with specific age-related milestones.
Controlling Children's Interests and Play
A parent detailed specific restrictions on their children's interests and play activities. They described how their children were not allowed to watch any cartoon with fighting or caricatures getting hurt. Moreover, they could not have any kind of gun, not even a toy gun, to the point that Star Wars was forbidden. Additionally, their children were not allowed to play with 'boy' toys like Hot Wheels, Tonka trucks, and even Legos. This parent admitted to being very controlling and not allowing their children to be 'boys' in any way.
Religious Restrictions and Exceptions
Another parent recounted a religious restriction on playing in a Flag Football league on Sundays, citing the Sabbath. Despite this, the parent allowed their youngest brother to play only ten years later. This story illustrates the long-term impacts of strict religious rules on a family and the eventual relaxation of those rules over time.
Punishments and Additional Struggles
A more severe rule was the summer after one member of the family failed a Bible class. The parent grounded their child for the entire summer, despite the child completing all the homework. In addition, the child missed the 6 Flags trip because they were required to bring a chaperone, while being already bullied relentlessly. A related rule was the prohibition of sleepovers on school nights, with weekend sleepovers subject to the parent's arbitrary moods and disapproval. The child was also not allowed to attend social outings like the bowling alley events their peers enjoyed.
These stories illustrate the varied and often extreme rules that strict parents impose on their children, and the potential negative consequences and emotional impacts on the children's development.