Fairly. I was not allowed friends over unless it was my birthday. I could never stay over at friends houses unless it was their birthday. I couldn’t go anywhere after school until I was 16. There were no such things as phones in everyone’s hand back then. If I wanted any type of trendy clothing I had to use my own money. I got a couple generic type outfits at the beginning of school. Which I appreciated however as we get older we like to feel we “fit in”.
No physical contact with anyone of the same gender. Not even hugging my friends. Wouldn't want me catching the gay now would we? Jokes on them, I am now proudly Pansexual!!
My parents weren’t as strict as I thought they were growing up. There were bands I wasn’t allowed to listen to, movies I wasn’t allowed to watch, heavily enforced 10pm curfew. When I went out with friends, I had to find a pay phone (I’m old) and let them know if we were going to switch locations. I realize now that most of it was basic safety, and a lot of things I wasn’t allowed to do (class trips, concerts, etc.) was because we were poor, not because they were strict. But as a teenager, I felt incredibly oppressed and pinned down by my “strict” parents. Part of it was simply being an angsty teenager, which I definitely was. But now that I have my own teenagers, I’ve realized a lot of it was that my parents never gave explanations for their rules. It was always “because I said so”. Or “because I make the rules and you don’t”. I never understood the reasons why, and so it just felt very oppressive and unfair, and made me want to rebel against everything. Because of that, I work very hard to make sure I take time to talk to my kids about any boundaries we set and let them be a part of the process. Only time will tell, but so far, I have a much closer relationship with my kids than I ever had with my parents. And they are really awesome kids! I guess my point is: strict isn’t just about the rules themselves. It’s also about communication.
