Many of us grow up thinking we had strict parents - but were they actually that bad?
A Reddit thread about the most strict rules parents enforced on their kids is swiftly proving that, actually, most of us had it pretty easy.
From the parents who wouldn’t let their teens listen to anything with guitars in it, to the people who, for every minute their child was late coming in from curfew, grounded them a week - these stories will make you thank your lucky stars your parents are relatively normal.
“I wasn’t allowed to say ‘I died’ on Mario. [Instead] I ‘lost one of my chances to succeed’.”
- zaqhavok
“We could not listen to music with guitars in it. I will never forget the day my brother was listening to Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and my father took the radio and threw it through the window. Spent my childhood listening to Richard Marx and Michael Bolton. Thanks dad.”
“Currently on holiday in Japan... have to message every hour to update them on what I am doing.”
“Dad was a narcissist... Biggest rule in the house was not to make any noise around him. If he was home the whole house got quiet and tense. Even my mom used to eat her cereal in the bedroom because she’d get in trouble for chewing crunchy food. Now she’s long rid of him and married to a way better guy, but she still apologises for eating crackers.”
- jemifig
“For every minute I was late coming in from curfew, I got grounded a week.”
“Have a friend who isn’t allowed to go out if ‘he’s already had too much fun this weekend’. That’s the only reason, they think he’ll become corrupted if he has too much fun and that he won’t know how to work. He’s in college.”
“Indian parents, I could stay at a sleepover until 2am, but couldn’t actually sleep at that person’s house LOL.”
“I was not allowed to talk to boys. One Christmas Eve, I was doing last minute shopping. I ran into two male friends from my German class and we talked for several minutes and wished each other a Merry Christmas. Oh I was fifteen at the time. My older sister drove by and saw me, told my parents I was ‘hanging out with boys’. When I walked in the house both my parents were waiting and the yelling began. Some Christmas Eve.”
- mevoxdez
“No video games console ever, and no online games on the computer because that’s how you get a virus and make the computer run slow...”
- Akazey
“I wasn’t allowed to cross any streets until middle school. Thus, my best friends were the ones who lived on the same block as me.”
“There were a lot, but the most ridiculous one to me was they didn’t want me volunteering during high school. I was visiting the elderly and they said it was too dangerous to be around strangers like that and the time was taking away from my studies.”
“Individuality was almost a cardinal sin in my parents house. You wear what they like. You eat what they like. You do what they like. You DO NOT under ANY circumstances act like a human being with hopes, dreams and opinions.”
“My stepmom decided that I was using too much shampoo, she would get a little medicine cup before my shower and pour the designated amount into it. It wasn’t ever enough because I had hair down to my butt. I also wasn’t allowed to use conditioner.”
“No trends or ‘passing fads’. Pokemon, banned. Barbies, banned. Beanie Babies, banned. Playstation/Gameboys, banned. Anything particularly fashionable or popular regardless of actual merit was met with derision and we’d be mocked for even suggesting interest.”
- PLAUTOS
“Females of the family must cook and clean on holidays while males watch TV.
“No visiting friend’s houses [and] no friends over at our house - all the way through high school.
“Hair cannot be cut at or above shoulder.
“7:00 pm bedtime. Not curfew. Bed time. Through junior high. Strictly enforced.
“Needless to say, I rebelled strong and hard.”
- Lynxsoul