Growing up with strict parents can be a real challenge for teenagers as having lots of rules and expectations can affect their behavior and actions. On one hand, it is nice to have parents that want you to succeed and be responsible. Some parenting styles are helpful and they are looking out for their kids best interest but some can be harmful for their kids growth and can entirely take away their freedom. Ultimately the goal of strict parents is to have successful children and to prepare them for the challenges of adulthood. WHS students take on strict parents.
Do you have strict parents, regardless of if you do, how does this affect your day to day life?
“Yes I do, but I would say it honestly makes it a lot easier to get stuff done.” – Jack M
“Kind of, I can’t go out when I want to or hang out with friends if there’s a fun event happening.” – Jada P
“To be honest, I’m kinda just constantly on edge and anxious. I know they don’t mean it but.” -Anonymous WHS student
“I would say my parents aren’t that strict like other parents I know. I would say that my parents still do affect my day life because I have to ask for permission and they could always say no which always sucks.” -Sienna D
“Yes, I do and it doesn’t affect me a lot, only when I want to do something and I know it’s gonna take me a long time to convince them to let me do it. Or when I’m in my room and they think that I’m doing something because I stay in there all day”- Lamis K
“No I don’t think so, I get a lot of freedom to do whatever I want as long as I earn it and do my important things first” -Jayla W
What are some rules that you have to follow that were set by your parents? Do you have an opinion on these rules?
“I have to go to bed by 10:30, I can’t go out unless I tell them who it’s with and where I’ll be, they have every right to look at my phone, etc. I agree with the ideas behind them, but the phone one I don’t agree with because I deserve privacy to have conversations.”- Kaylee E
“I have to go to bed by 10:30, I can’t go out unless I tell them who it’s with and where I’ll be, they have every right to look at my phone, etc. I agree with the ideas behind them, but the phone one I don’t agree with because I deserve privacy to have conversations.” Amara B
“I have a screen time limit on my phone for certain apps. I have to go to church and Confirmation which I do not want to go to at all (sorry if that offends you), they are very strict on grades. For example, my brother had bad grades in his classes so his phone screen time got taken away for over a month and maybe more because this is a thing going on right now. I think the screen time limit and grades stuff is annoying but it is going to benefit us in the future. I don’t like how they force me to go to things I don’t want to though.”- Zoe D
“The rules are that I must have finished all my homework before I go out with my friends. These rules are reasonable and make me do my homework and help me stay on track, but I can also do my homework after I go out with my friends. I’m a good student and i do my homework even if my parents don’t tell me to so i feel like these rules are unnecessary “-Lily M
“Life360 location MUST BE ON AT ALL TIMES, only my mom has access to the security camera footage, and she needs to know who we are with at all times. Also hard curfew midnight (with like a 5-10 minute grace period– this also depends on if we are at a sports event/concert/etc.)” -Laura Costa
Do your parents affect your mental health, explain how?
“I feel like I’d rather have my strict parents than ones who don’t really care about me. It’s nice to know that they care enough to always want to know where I am, even if it can be a bit overbearing.”- Laura C
“My parents being a bit strict is actually helpful to me because they motivate me to do better. Their expectations are the reason I put so much effort into school, sports and other activities. I think it is a positive impact.”-Shaurya P
“It makes me feel trapped and sometimes lonely because I’m not allowed to go out.”-Sadie C
“I get annoyed how much they tell me to get off my phone but I know they are only trying to do what is best for me.” -Bridget T
“Yes, in a positive and negative way because they want me to do the best I can in life no matter what it is, and I want to please their expectations, which forces me to strive for my best in a good way but it also does stresses me out during certain moments in my life.”-Richard B
When you think of “strict parents” what do you think of? Does this relate to your own parents?
“When thinking of strict parents I think of parents that micromanage their children’s lives or enforce harsh rules on them. This does not relate to my parents.”-Jimmy C
“I usually think of a parent who doesn’t let their kid go out with friends often or who doesn’t let their kids do things that most other kids can or have the same freedoms that other kids get”-Jalya W
“I think of parents who set hard curfews and check their kids’ phones and scold them for doing bad things, even if it’s an honest mistake. This does somewhat relate to my parents because they do enforce rules like these ones but they don’t act on them frequently. Like I don’t remember the last time they checked my phone but if they feel I’m hiding it, they check it and I can get in trouble.”-Kaylee E
“I think about people with no social life. My parents and I have been talking about it over the years and they’ve gotten kind of better so they are no longer the stereotypical “strict parents” but it still impacts me.”-Amara B
“I think about people with no social life. My parents and I have been talking about it over the years and they’ve gotten kind of better so they are no longer the stereotypical “strict parents” but it still impacts me.”-Shaurya P
Does having strict parents affect your life drastically, or is it not a big deal to you?
“Does having strict parents affect your life drastically, or is it not a big deal to you.”-Sadie C
“Not too big but not too small because sometimes I don’t mind if I can leave the house or not but if there’s an event I really wanted to go to and my mom says no it bothers me a lot.”-Jada P
“It affects my social life and how I view my friends’ relationship with their parents”-Amara B
“It affects my social life and how I view my friends’ relationship with their parents”- Laura C
