I'll admit- I grew up with strict parents. I had an 11 p.m. curfew all through high school, was expected to get good grades, and other things of the like. We've gotten in our fair share of arguments, and there were points in my life in which I resented my parents for how they acted. However, I now understand, and appreciate, why my parents raised my sisters and I the way they did.
I was raised in a relatively strict household. As a child, there were always rules, we did chores, had bedtime, etc. Growing up, I wasn’t really the biggest fan of my parents a lot of the time because of their rules. It sometimes felt like we were being held to a high standard in all aspects of life, and that there was no room for fun. I think that all kids feel like this towards their parents at some point in their lives. Looking back, I realize that the way my parents raised me made me a better person later in life.
One of the ways in which a strict style of parenting benefited me in real life is that it taught me respect. Through my teenage years, I realized that instead of going out of my way to disagree with my parents, it’s a lot easier to simply respect them and their rules. For me, it became a symbiotic relationship between my parents. I kept my grades up and stayed out of trouble, and I could do pretty much whatever I wanted to do (as long as I was home before curfew, of course).
Being held to a high standard by your parents comes with a busy schedule. By the time I was a freshman in high school, I was diving 20 hours a week and taking honors classes in school, and my load got worse as the years went on. I had to learn early on how to schedule my life around the important things, and I can’t help but feel that my parents had a hand in shaping that aspect of me.
The one thing that made my parents better was the fact that a lot of my friends’ parents had similar rules to me, which made situations like hanging out at each other’s houses and going on trips a lot easier because our parents all agreed on how and what was going to happen. Although, it could be awkward sometimes when we were younger and wanted to hang out with your friends and it turned into a game of,
"You ask your mom first."
"No! You ask your mom first!"
So, to the child who hates their parents because they’re overbearing, crazy, whatever- it will get better! Try to get along with your parents, they’re simply doing the best they can to raise you. Remember, they’ve only been parenting for as long as you’ve been alive. They make mistakes just like we do. Plus, life is a lot easier when everybody at home gets along.
