People Describe The Most Absurd Rules Their Strict Parents Enforced Growing Up

I wasn't allowed to cross the street without my. other's permission. It was weird. But now that I drive... I get it.

Alone

"I was only allow to go to school and come back home, my parents never allowed me to hangout with friends after school or on the weekends."

limsasi

Friends

"I could totally see my friends, but effectively wasn't allowed to make any. I was homeschooled so I didn’t have any, and church wasn’t really anyone under 50, so I just never had any communication with anyone who wasn’t an adult until college. This vastly set me back along with my siblings and I didn’t go on my first date until 23."

AzureBluet

Make it Quick

"My parents expected me to call them and ask for permission to go out at night (which in their minds was after dinner and included movies) throughout college. And furthermore I had to use a calling card with limited minutes because my college was long-distance from them."

"My goal was to end the call quickly which usually meant acquiescing to their rigid rules and staying in. Took me entirely too long to realize that they were in fact half a day's drive away, so I could do what I wished without always checking in."

Crazycatlover

I am Meek

"Not being allowed up in my room during the day. (It was okay to go up there once it got close to bedtime, but it was hit or miss... I could never quite figure out the exact time it became acceptable.) My mom would always yell for me to come back downstairs if I disappeared up to my room for more than five or ten minutes at a time. And a related rule: not being allowed to shut my bedroom door, except briefly when dressing."

"For context, I was an introverted girl who loved to read, and I just preferred the peace and quiet of my room. Also, I was a very meek child who never got into trouble, so those rules weren't made because of any misbehaviour on my part. It seemed absurd to me then, and still seems absurd to me now."

Avendaishar

Who?

"It wasn’t a rule but, when I was 13, my mom overheard me telling some friends a guy on TV was cute. She made me feel so ashamed that, to this day, I’m reluctant to actually point out a cute guy to friends or voice my appreciation when they do it. It’s awkward."

Brunonononoooo

Wow and I thought I had it bad because I wanted more allowance.

Less Words

"I do high level debate in high school, so in every argument we had, I wasn't allowed to use it because it was too insulting to them or something. Very many arguments were had in form of screaming and cussing at each other."

Vivid_Fan_3150

In the Middle...

"As the middle kid, I had a lot more rules compared to my siblings. My older brother moved out of my dads house so it was me and my little brother, who was spoiled rotten. I wasn't allowed to go to bed until my little brother said I could. He was allowed to hit me as much as he wanted. Keep in mind, I'm a female, now 18. He is four years younger."

"I moved out when I was 17. Also, he was allowed to do whatever he wanted and I had to do his chores and mine in under an hour. My chores were the dishes, taking the dog out, sweeping, mopping, steam mopping, vacuuming, laundry, and bathrooms. We lived in a 4 bed, 3.5 bathroom house. It also had a basement that my dad used for his man cave. My brothers chores were to clean his room, and take the trash out."

"I did all of his chores everyday and mine and it took me from 6 AM (I also wasn't allowed to sleep in but he could) until 3 or 4 PM. And I was doing online school. I failed school and was told I was only good as a servant. I was also getting abused but I moved out and now my fiancé helps me get over the trauma."

kyliesolis

2 years later...

"When I went to boarding school, if I gained even 0.1kg of weight, I would have all electronics, which included my phone, tablet and laptop, taken away from me until 2 years later when my parents said I could have them back. I wasn't allowed to leave the school grounds unless I had their permission. I didn't give a f**k what they said and still left the school on weekends, but the farthest I went was the little co op 50 meters from the school because that's all I ever wanted to go to."

marvel_is_wow

I Feel for Her

"I’d say I have some of the least strict parents and it’s made me realize the insane things my friend’s parents do. I have a friend from a hispanic household, she’s not allowed to wear makeup, and must get permission to go out. This wouldn’t be weird if she wasn’t literally 20, with a driver’s license, car, and 2 sources of income including the military. They don’t let her move out. She’s being deployed to Kuwait indefinitely and I haven’t gotten to see her once before she leaves."

jesikau

Hydrate

"My siblings and I couldn't drink anything during our meal. If we wanted anything to drink, we had to have it before we ate, and couldn't touch it again until our plate was clear."

Arken8270

In a Small Town

"cracks knuckles... my time to shine. I had a 7:00 curfew until I was 18 (then it only moved to 10). I live in a very small town, the kind that Walmart is considered a date, and my parents were mad I went across city lines for the movies when I was 18. I could only go out (meaning anytime I left the house including family events) twice a month. I had to turn my phone in at 9 until I was 16."

Winter_baby_22

Face Reads

"I have the male equivalent of 'resting *itch face.' So I was forced to smile and s**t, otherwise I got in trouble for 'making a look."

iBelieveInSpace

Decades Later

"It was my 'father' and his b**ch wife, but... I couldn't lay down on the couch. At age 16, I made a choice to work as close to full-time as possible and forego playing sports (I really enjoyed playing basketball and football, but I sorta realized I wasn't going to be the next MJ or Rice and decided I wanted a car, to be able to buy clothes, etc.)"

"I'd get home from work (10 or 11pm) the couch cushions would actually be standing up (they didn't take them off, but rather just stood balanced them up for some f**king reason) with a handwritten note I couldn't sit on them. I still don't know what that was about. 2+ decades later. Yeah, before you ask, he is still living and is exactly the type of person that wonders why his kids don't want anything to do with him."

2020IsANightmare

Select a Few

"I was not allowed to close my bedroom door, denying me of any privacy. The rule itself may not be too absurd, but that fact that it applied to some of my siblings and not others makes it absurd. On the rare occasion I was allowed to hang out with my friends, I had to go back to the house every hour to check-in. If I was late by five minutes or more, I was grounded."

"After dinner, some of us were allowed one cookie, whilst others were allowed three. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, we had to have cold cereal. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, we had to have microwaved breakfast foods. On Sundays, our father would cook for us. I never gained much muscle mass due to the lack of protein and other essentials I needed."

"Our cold cereals were usually things like Cheerios (not the honey ones), Corn Flakes (not the frosted ones), and Frosted Mini Wheats without the frosting (I don't remember the name). I don't think the rules in my childhood house were more strict than the other. They were all equally strict, so I just selected a few of them."

Stitch_03

Only Boys

"Not me but my best friend. From the time she was a baby until she left home, she was never allowed to have a bedroom door. The door to the bathroom could never be fully closed. She couldn’t whistle, chew gum or play sports because only boys/men could do that."

IDGAF_GOMD

Play

"Equal amounts of violin practice and video games. I’ve played 1000’s of hours of violin and video games because of that rule."

Present-Trip5231

Sticks and Stones

"I wasn’t allowed to play with sticks. Ever. My father worked as a contractor in my younger years, so I grew up around tools and such. He got me my own little carpentry kit, complete with a hammer, chisel, pliers and screwdrivers. He even showed me how to carve unused pieces of lumber that were laying around."

"By 6, it was totally acceptable for me to take some leftover 2x4, carve an axe or spear head (axe came from 2x8 and split a lot) then glue it into the end of a 3/4” or 1” pvc pipe, creating my own weapons. All learned from my dad. But if that same man saw me playing with a stick from the yard, I got BEAT. 33 years old now. I can’t resist the urge to pick up a stick and swing it around when I see one."

OSHoneyB

Hockey Sticks

"I wasn't allowed to play hockey because only lesbians did that and she wouldn't have me embarrassing my brother by being a lesbian (by playing hockey). I saw a school photo, she played hockey in the 1950s. No watching TV while she was out. Not allowed to eat unless it's what she said we could eat. We prepared nice meals for her and had separate meagre meals."

"She believed homework was work we didn't finish in class, so we weren't allowed to do homework. We needed to be quicker in class. She had a whistle and had two signals for my brother and I, she would literally whistle for us so she didn't have to get out of bed. Obviously no friends. One time I had a friend, she had her clean the house."

Lostinmoderation

Hometown Glory

"cracks knuckles... my time to shine. I had a 7:00 curfew until I was 18 (then it only moved to 10). I live in a very small town, the kind that Walmart is considered a date, and my parents were mad I went across city lines for the movies when I was 18. I could only go out (meaning anytime I left the house including family events) twice a month. I had to turn my phone in at 9 until I was 16."

Winter_baby_22

It's amazing some people still grow up sane.