The Sage Publication is the student news site of Sage Creek High School in Carlsbad, CA

The Sage

The Sage Publication is the student news site of Sage Creek High School in Carlsbad, CA

The Sage

The Sage Publication is the student news site of Sage Creek High School in Carlsbad, CA

The Sage

Strict Parents Make Sneaky Kids

Ever since I was young, my parents have always told me stories starting with, “when I was your age…” and a funny anecdote that shows how times have changed. One such story of my dad is how he used to sneak out of the house to go to parties. My dad would describe his father as strict: someone who would kick him out of the house if he misbehaved.

Photo taken from YouGov
This survey shows the results of how people were treated by their own parents. The same group of people who believed parents should be “fairly strict” said their own parents ranged from fairly strict to very strict.

Strict parents force their kids to be sneaky in order to have a social life. Most parents keep their kids excluded from social activities in order to make them study for tests or to ensure that all their homework is done. However, students today are under too much pressure with getting the highest GPA, a perfect SAT score and getting into the best possible college. This build-up of stress should result in the release of pressure during social activities.

In a survey conducted by Deseret News, 12 percent or lower said that parents should be “very strict” while 20-30 percent of people said that their upbringing involved “very strict parents.”  This proves that more than half of the people who grew up with strict parents would not treat their own children the same way.

Design by Hannah Bright

According to an article written by Verywell Mind, authoritarian parenting (parents who have high expectations of their child, but have low responsiveness) causes children to be more impulsive. This type of parenting describes parents that do not express supportive nature towards their child, inflict punishment without explanation, and do not give their child choices. Potentially, this could cause a child to feel trapped and act on impulse against their controlling parents.

However, some parents may say that a child needs guidance in their young life to learn right from wrong, but creating a positive relationship with your child by explaining rules, taking the child’s feelings into consideration and rewarding them will give them the freedom they need, yet, the guidance they deserve. Statistics by Verywell Mind show that “children raised with authoritative discipline tend to be happy and successful.”

Photo taken from YouGov
This survey was taken to observe how people of different age groups think parents should act towards their children. A majority of people believe that parents should range from not very strict to fairly strict.

Although I understand that strict parents are only trying to protect their children and only have their best interest in mind, this overprotectiveness can lead a child to become angry and depressed. These strong emotional problems can be detrimental to their development and cause sneaky behavior with stark consequences.

When I first started high school, my father treated me like a child, never let me leave the house and pressured me about my grades. Our relationship only improved when I got older and he let me make my own decisions. As I made mistakes with my choices, he was there to help me through them, but it taught me to become my own person and helped me prepare for my journey to college. I will be forever grateful for the wisdom and advice of my parents.

View Comments (9)

Comments (9)

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  • B

    Bryce H. GippleOct 9, 2021 at 11:54 pm

    I agree with everything this article says. My parents were control freaks who have controlled my high school activities, controlled my first 2 years of college, and tried to control my career despite moving out of state. However, despite all this, I will say I’m fortunate enough to improve my relationship with the family, but that’s only after they’ve loosened the reins a little bit. Even now, though, I still have some difficulty when it comes to open communication with my family, particularly with my life’s endeavors. If I have kids years down the line and they mess up as adults, I want their first thought NOT to be, “Dad’s fixin’ to kill me,” but rather, “I need to call my dad.” I also want to be supportive and encouraging, not closed-mined and stifling.

    Reply
  • K

    KatherynAug 30, 2020 at 7:42 pm

    Facts

    Reply
  • A

    Andrew EmdeApr 29, 2019 at 1:40 pm

    Parents should let their kids do more things because that will build a trust that will allow kids to go to their parents and tell them things.

    Reply
  • Z

    Ziggy UlugiaApr 28, 2019 at 9:44 pm

    This is so true

    Reply
  • C

    ChanceApr 26, 2019 at 12:49 pm

    On Jah, My mom used to make me go to bed at 7:30 during 7th grade

    Reply
  • A

    Andre EmdeApr 26, 2019 at 12:07 pm

    I couldn’t agree with this article more.

    Reply
  • D

    dukeApr 26, 2019 at 12:06 pm

    rats the rats we’re the rats we sneak at night we crawl at night we’re the rats i’m the giant rat that makes all fo the rules let’s see what kind of trouble we can get ourselves into

    Reply
  • C

    Christian ROchaApr 26, 2019 at 11:10 am

    Hamburger.

    Reply
  • C

    ChrisApr 26, 2019 at 10:01 am

    One of the best articles in awhile! I wish more parents could see this

    Reply