I thought my parents were pretty strict, but then I read the stories below, and…wow. They really don’t hold a candle to some of these strict parents.
AskReddit users ‘fessed up and revealed the ridiculous things their parents wouldn’t allow them to do. If you think your parents were hard on you…you might reconsider by the end.
1. Don’t cheat
“I was once sent to my room for cheating at Battleship.
I had to stay on my bed for a few hours. My mother went to the store and left us kids alone. At some point, my sister got stuck in a tree. I left my room, helped her down, then returned to my bed. When Mom got home I told her, and got in trouble for leaving the room.”
2. Um…
“My parents had an “eat it or wear it” rule.
I distinctly remember hiding under the table while my mom threw spaghetti at me.”
3. No entry
“My mom allowed me to invite friends over but they weren’t allowed in the house.
One day it rained and we had to sit on the porch until my friend’s mom came to get her.”
4. Truly white
“I wasn’t allowed to wear white clothes, cuz I’d never be able to keep them “truly white”.
Also, drive. Everyone around me has a drivers license except for me. When asking my parents why they never taught me or sent me to driving lessons, they just said “oh, you’re not good enough to drive”.
Without actually giving me a chance.
Thanks mom and stepdad.”
5. Rough Childhood
“I wasn’t allowed to have friends at all. Wasn’t allowed to go outside to play except supervised in the yard. I had a pet snake, she was my only friend. One night she got out of her tank some how and my dad found her. She hissed at him, he killed her then he skinned her while I had to watch.
In high school I was allowed to go to someones house to play D&D with them. But it ended up being a ‘test’ that I failed resulting in a lot of screaming and punishment.
After HS, my father made me start college immediately, threatening to kick me out if I didn’t. Literally a week out of HS I was in college doing a degree I had zero interest in. I finished and tried to do a degree that I was interested in, I was berated, screamed at and manipulated into quitting. During HS I wasn’t allowed to work or get a driving license or get out in the world at all so I was 100% stupid about pretty much everything.
There are worse things… but I guess it turned out well enough.”
6. Grounded
“Was once grounded from the library because my parents were mad that they couldn’t punish me with isolation (go to my room? Yes, please!).”
7. Satanic Panic
“I wasn’t allowed to play Dungeons and Dragons any more, got my books and materials confiscated.
1980s Satanic Panic stuff.
It particularly sucked because we weren’t well off and I’d earned the money to buy the DM books without their help. Plus, losing those made friends’ investment in player manuals useless …”
8. No friends
“My dad wouldn’t let me leave the house on the weekends.
Guess who was upset that I didn’t have any friends?”
9. Homeschooled
“I was taken out of school and homeschooled.
I wasn’t allowed to see my friends more than once every few months.
So I would go weeks without seeing anybody except my parents and old church-people.
This was basically my entire time as a teenager.”
10. Roald Dahl forbidden
“My mom raised us in a super Christian household but has relaxed as I grew up. When I was in elementary school she didn’t want me to watch James and the Giant Peach for some reason (oooOoohh evil).
We watched it in my third grade class and I was too shy to speak up. Then as the credits were rolling, I raised my hand and said, “Mrs. Norris, I am not allowed to watch that movie.” lol. my poor grade school self.”
11. The Big N
“I got an “N” in handwriting in 2nd grade. It stands for “Needs Improvement.”
They took my toys, books, posters, art supplies, everything, and put it in the closet and nailed the closet shut. They dumped my clothes in a pile on the floor and taped my dresser shut. I had to live in a completely barren room with nothing at all to do but lay on the bed and daydream and think about what I did until the next improved report card came out. It was a very long 6 weeks.
By high school they were so wrapped up in their own addictions and petty dramas that they entirely gave up the pretense of being strict parents raising smart successful children. They didn’t care if I went to school, got good grades, did homework, etc. I showed them by not graduating.”
12. No tattoos for you
“I understand why my mum does this but it’s still annoying, but she absolutely will not let me get a tattoo.
I’m 18, I don’t need her permission and I’m really tempted to do it anyway cause I don’t care anymore, but she’s that parent who’s like “my house my rules” and threatens to kick me out if I get a tattoo (Which is a total lie but I want to leave anyway so I may just do it to get kicked out on purpose).”
13. Strict
“My parents were very strict about “gender appropriate activities” I’m a girl so any activity deemed to masculine was off limits. Things I was interested in but banned from doing:
Skateboarding, video games, reading comic books, playing Pokemon, certain movies and books, playing most sports, watching most sports… The list goes on.”
14. Why bother inviting him?
“My dad told me (F18) to invite one of my male friends (M18) with us on vacation.
The friend’s room was on the one side of the living room while mine was on the other.
My dad proceeded to stack 5 chairs on the inside of my door so that he’ll hear if my FRIEND snuck into my room.”
15. SMH
“I was once grounded for a month, like, could go out to play with my friends, watch TV, play video games, or use the phone, because I said that I believed in evolution.
I had to admit that evolution wasn’t real, and I had to write “Evolution is not real.” 100 times.
We didn’t even go to church.”
Ugh… why are parents like this? You don’t need to be that strict, folks!
Does any of this seem familiar? Share your stories in the comments!
Thanks, fam!
