People With Strict Parents Share The Most Insane Rules Their Parents Enforced
Growing up, pretty much every kid thinks that their parents are too strict with their rules and then, as adults, people start to understand where their parents were coming from. However, some people's parents truly were unreasonably strict.
On Reddit, these people came together to share the most strict and irrational rules their parents enforced when they were younger.
Peeing After Midnight Is Forbidden!
As someone whose child has a habit of getting out of bed after being tucked in, I can understand these parents' motivation, but putting sensors on the door or limiting when kids can use the washroom is too far.
Please Be More Miserable!
Have these parents never heard of the infamous philosophy of "work hard, play hard?" I can't imagine limiting how much fun and joy my child experiences—especially when they've already reached college age.
Guitars Only, Though...
A tambourine? Fine. A nice string quartet? Palatable. A collection of flutes loudly playing? Okay. However, the guitar is where this father absolutely draws the line—something about the six strings is evil.
This Is Public Humiliation
If his grades turn out to be terrible, a bunch of strangers on the internet are now aware of his shame. If his grades turn out amazing, the rest of the kids will be annoyed about him being a show-off. There's no winning.
Did They Just Lie Awake In Bed For Hours?
I get it: growing children need a lot of sleep to be healthy. However, there is no reason a junior high-aged child should be going to bed that early. They have about 12 hours before they'd even need to be up for school...
This Is An Emergency!
As someone who, even as an adult, has a chair in the corner of my bedroom that is consistently covered in upwards of five clothing items, I would not have survived in this home.
When I Say "Over," You Say "Reaction"
I feel like this mom skipped over a lot of steps—like checking the house, texting her daughter, waiting for maybe five minutes—when she immediately decided to call the police on her kid.
Not Evolution!
The funny thing is that there were a lot of shows that promoted questionable morals available on television, but these parents decided that a dragon turning into a bigger dragon was damaging for children to see.
Sorry Kids, But Grandpa Lost One Of His Chances To Succeed
On one hand, I get that these parents didn't want their children to talk about death in such a casual way. On the other hand, I would have made fun of a kid who said they "lost one of their chances to succeed" in a game.
You Ever Get So Bored You Stalk Your Child's Calendar Years Into The Future?
This 20-year-old woman had synced her online calendar with her mother's a while back and forgotten about it until she got this message while she was at work. You hate to see it.
Stop Being Such A Bad Kid And Volunteering
Most parents worry about their teenage children getting into drinking, using illicit substances, or getting pregnant in high school, but these parents drew the line at doing volunteer work and giving back to the community!
I Would Give Up On Playing
My parents made me practice piano for a minimum of 10 hours a week, and I thought that was rough; however, these parents really took it to a new level when they decided the kid had to practice piano to play at a 1:1 ratio.
You Sure Taught Them!
This mom is way too proud of her decision to smash her children's belongings as a punishment. There's no worse way to make your children respect you and your things than by actively disrespecting them and their things!
Sorry, Sweaty
I feel so sorry for this poor kid who was definitely stuck sweltering on the playground during every recess whenever the weather was moderately warm. Nothing like heat exhaustion, am I right?
I Can't Believe She Rationed Shampoo
It's obviously important to teach your children not to needlessly waste goods, but preparing rations of shampoo for their showers seems like it goes too far. All that this stepmom accomplished was making the kid smell.
That's Super Healthy And Not At All Concerning
I cannot stress this enough: showing obsessive behaviors around food consumption around your children, whether you personally diet a lot or you control their food too much, only sets them up to have unhealthy eating patterns in the future.
Javier Deserved Better
First of all, all this just because the kid didn't do his homework? Second of all, a dog isn't just a toy that you can return to the store—it's a living, feeling being!!!
Bro, Aren't They Asleep?
Of course, it makes sense that parents might want to keep some tabs on their child while they are in a foreign country, but every hour seems excessive. Isn't Japan's daytime during our night anyway?
We Found The Person To Blame
I can't believe this mom looked at a global disaster that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and devastated countries and still decided to blame it on her daughter.
No Internet For You!
I think I would have taken up a life as a social recluse if I had to have my mom read my MSN messenger conversations over my shoulder as I typed them.
Privacy Was Non-Existent Here
This is a PSA to all parents: your children should be allowed to have some privacy from you and be able to control their own surroundings and personal boundaries in their bedrooms.
Every Minute? Yikes
If the timing had been a bit different, I think this would actually be a good tactic. For example, if they were grounded for a week for every 15 minutes they were late for curfew and if the punishment wasn't inflicted when circumstances weren't under their control.
Can We Have Your Money?
This son explained that he works a minimum-wage job to help pay for college in the future and his parents still ask to borrow money from him for things. It's just not right.
This Is Weirdly Specific
I would like to ask this father a few questions: why did he want his children to eat olives on a daily basis? Why dinner as the meal? Why did they have to eat exactly 10 olives?
Well, That Backfired
This mom decided that she was going to keep her kid from getting romantic in any way by only forcing him to hang out with other boys; I don't think he really minded.
How Do You "Not Believe" In Periods?
Periods aren't like bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster—there's no debate as to whether or not they are a real phenomenon. I really feel for this probably awkward 13-year-old girl trying to figure it out on her own.
Location Services: Permanently Disabled
Location services are a great way to track your children when they are very young, but it goes a little too far when they are fully grown adults just trying to hang out with friends.
No Slicing Bread?!
How did this dad expect children to make a sandwich? I mean, I like tearing bread and dipping it in soup as much as anyone else, but forbidding knife use is so extreme.
I Would Like To Read The Essay
Can you imagine being a teen and wanting to keep up with the show all of your friends talk about at school but having to write a full essay on it in 12-point font, Times New Roman?
Okay, But I Had The Same Rule...
No joke, on top of the phone thing, my parents also didn't let me watch SpongeBob as a kid. In fact, I was only allowed to watch television shows with a clear educational purpose, such as The Magic School Bus and How It's Made. I know—I can't believe I wasn't popular in school either.
That So...Unnecessary
Listen, right turns might be slightly safer, but I bet that trying to figure out a route to get somewhere via right turns takes so much mental energy that it would be just be safer to make a left turn or two.
Who Knew That A Weighted Blanket Would Be So Controversial?
The daughter in this photo explained that her younger sister had been having trouble sleeping over the past couple of months, so she ordered a weighted blanket to the house to see if it would help. For some reason, her mother was angry about it.
Because Those Four Weeks Make Such A Difference
This story makes me want to call my parents and thank them for never even really reading game ratings when I would get them. I mean, what's the difference between being 12 and 13 while playing a game?
Where Did He Sit Then?
Did this guy just spend the first 18 years of his life sitting on the floor all the time? Or was there an armchair or ottoman that he was allowed to sit on? Either way, it's weird.
This One Is Oddly Common
I actually knew a lot of people growing up who were forbidden to read the Harry Potter books or watch any of the movies because of the magic component but were allowed to watch horror movies. Make it make sense.
This Is A Fairy-Tale Level Of Evil Stepmom
This young woman explained that she hadn't heard back from her dad for a while, so she reached out to her stepmother to ask what was going on. Her stepmother hadn't told the daughter that her dad was sick because she "never called to talk to her enough."
The Grass Really Is Greener...
Not being allowed to do chores might sound like a dream come true, but as one of the only people in my college dorm who was able to use a washing machine, I get how important it is for kids to complete them.
Even As Adults?
It's one thing for parents to enforce strict rules upon their children when they're still minors, but as independent married adults, it's just weird. How are you going to tell a 30-year-old that she can't wear pajamas in the house?
Let Him Sell The Xbox
I'm all for getting siblings to share things—my brother and I shared just about everything, even if we bought it ourselves—but to not let him sell his own Xbox? That's wack.
In Summary, Being Strict Doesn't Make Good Kids
As someone who grew up with strict parents, all they really taught me was how to lie really well. In reality, I probably wouldn't have rebelled as hard if they had been a little more chill.