All it takes for the rebel in me to kick in is being told, “No!”.
I used to make plans with my friends on the phone. I would stir up the courage to ask my parents, and get denied my freedom anyways. Getting told “no” by my parents makes me want to do something ten times more than I did before I even asked. Then, I found my way around it anyways.
Strict parents can create mischievous children. According to ahaparenting.com, “Strict parenting deprives kids of the opportunity to internalize self-discipline and responsibility. Studies show that children raised with a strict parenting style tend to be more angry and rebellious as teenagers and young adults.”
The restrictions range from the places you can go, to the clothes you can wear, to how you do your hair and the friends you have. The list goes on.
“Why can’t I?” you question. You feel trapped and wonder why you cannot have the freedom you desire. The response remains the same: “Because I said so.”
Eventually, you get tired of being told what you can and cannot do. Then the, “I do what I want” mindset kicks in. You break your curfew, go somewhere you shouldn’t be, and lie about it.
A senior at UACHS, (who has opted to remain anonymous for this interview) is familiar with having to be sneaky to find her way around things, due to her strict parents.
“Sometimes, my parents are strict and don’t want me to have a life. It’s unfair, but being sneaky helps out once in a while so I can hang out with my friends,” she said.
But have you ever wondered why your parents are so strict and “don’t want you to have a life?” Soon you realize that they were only trying to keep you safe and teach you morals.
The world is indeed a very violent place where anything can happen. Parents are just worried and they try to protect us as much as they possibly could. For the most part they have good intentions, other times they just act out of pettiness.
Alina Bisram, a senior at UACHS, with strict parents agrees that having strict parents is not as bad as it always seemed.
“Having strict parents has actually benefited me in a way because I feel as though it helped me become more independent and stronger,” she said.
Many might be efficient liars and have the ability to get away with it. While those who are not such good liars have higher chances of getting caught in the act. When parents find out you’ve broken their oh-so-precious rules, they might become even more strict. They might even punish you, but it only makes you find a way around the punishment, again.
One UACHS student feels that although lying is not the best thing to do, it is the most convenient when it comes to dealing with strict parents.
“My mother is stuck in the tradition that she grew up in, and it makes it hard for me to live my life. I have to lie at times and it’s not right, but I also need my freedom,” she said.
Sooner or later, the full rebel in you kicks in. You might sneak out in the middle of the night. The outcome? The best night you’ve ever had, because you did what you wanted to. You’ve gotten that taste of freedom, and just become hungry for more. So you do it again, again, and again. Little do you realize, that a lot can happen. What was your greatest night ever, could have been your last night ever.
When you’re thirsty for some kind of life, you might make dumb decisions that you’ll regret later on. But you don’t care because you’re living in the moment, whether your parents approve of it or not.
Why exactly are parents so strict? Alina’s mom, Mariana Lakhan, elaborates on why she was a bit strict over the years.
“I know they are young and they just want to have fun. At the end of the day, I also know that a lot happens in the outside world. If my children are not around me, I am unaware of the dangers they are surrounded by,” said Lakhan.
Eventually as you get older, your parents become less strict. You ponder why they were so strict in the first place. No parent really wants rebellious children, but while trying to be protective they may have overdid it. Parents sometimes do not realize that being so strict creates kids so sneaky.
Soon you’ll actually appreciate your parents for being so strict on you because you turned out pretty alright. Ultimately, strict parenting is what created the foundation to your morals and eventually you’ll thank them later.