10 Things Growing Up With Strict Parents Teaches You

London Scout
London Scout
  1. You learn how to earn everything you get from an early age. Whether it is by doing chores or helping out around the house when you are younger or getting a part time job when you are older, you learn the value of hard work young and this develops a great work ethic when you are older.
  2. You learn never to do anything unless you are giving it your hundred percent. Remember the way your mom would inspect the dishes after you were done washing them and make you rewash them if they weren’t done right? Well, ten years later, when your boss congratulates you for your attention to detail, you have your mother to thank for that.
  3. You learn to be respectful of elder people and have excellent manners. They say manners cost nothing and last a lifetime. Your parents did not accept anything but the best of manners from you as a child and as an adult, you find it easy to display nothing but your best side to people who are older than you and find it easy to be around your friends’ parents, your partners parents or even your bosses.
  4. You learn to value everything you own and look after it. Remember how hard you had to work to earn enough money for that new computer? Now do you remember just how much you treasured and looked after it because of all the hard work that went into it? Strict parents teach you how to actually value the things you own by making you earn them for yourself.
  5. You learn excellent powers of persuasion. Having strict parents means you had to choose the right time, the right moment and the right mood to present any kind of argument. Whether it was to sleep over at a friend’s house or simply stay out an hour after your curfew, you had to wait for the opportune moment and present a water tight argument. This taught you early on how to read people’s moods and behaviour.
  6. You learn to be extremely punctual. Strict parents do not put up with ‘It’s only five minutes’ and “I’m sorry I was late but-”. Time is a valuable commodity and keeping people waiting was unacceptable to your parents. As an adult, you learn to appreciate this ideal much more and understand that keeping people waiting comes across as extremely rude. You are never late for work, a birthday, a friend’s party or when someone needs you and that makes you very dependable.
  7. You learn how to be excellent with money. A lot of strict parents don’t tend to give pocket money or allowances, and when they did give you money to spend, you had to be frugal so that it lasted. When you are an adult with your own hard earned cash, you will realise how hard your parents had to work to provide you with what you needed and how expensive it is to have a child in this day and age. You will thank your parents for teaching you the value of money and how to be careful with your finances.
  8. You learn to think hard before you make big decisions. You were always the responsible one in your friend circle because your parents were the strictest. Impulsive decisions were never ever part of your agenda simply because you knew how much trouble you could get into if you made the wrong choices. Now, as an adult, you think hard before you make large decisions and never act irresponsibly when it comes to huge decisions like marriage, purchasing homes, mortgages and paying your bills on time.
  9. You learn to be ambitious. Strict parents are very encouraging when it comes to sports and academics. They are also supportive and want the very best for you so they will push you to achieve at the highest you possibly can. They will be there at every game, every talent show wanting you to perform your very best. You learn from a young age to aim high and to never stop reaching for the stars.
  10. You learn to be independent. As you had so many responsibilities so young, you know how to look after yourself from an early age. Leaving home was never a scary prospect for you as you were ready to live your life on your own terms sooner rather than later. Because you already know how to cook, clean, do laundry, all the while keeping a job, it is easy for you to take the next step into being an adult by having your own place. Strict parents give you unforgettable life lessons when it comes to being on your own. Thought Catalog Logo Mark

Nikita is the author of Your Soul Is A River and Your Heart Is The Sea.

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