What were your parents like when you were growing up? Were they very strict or were they more on the lenient side of things?
I’m currently 23, and my parents were actually very lenient and placed a ton of trust on me in high school. My mom was never really around. She was mostly not in my life until I turned 18 pretty much, but neither of us really made an effort. I’ve lived with my dad since I was really young. My dad worked the overnight shift five days a week, Monday through Friday since I’ve started high school, which means he wasn’t at the house all night. There was some trust level to this as I was trusted to go to sleep at a decent time and wake up for school each morning. I’ve only ended up sleeping in once, and it wasn’t thought of as a big deal. As neither of us had a car at the time, he just let me skip school that day.
As for bedtime, I was fortunate to not have one. My dad let me know I was smart enough to figure out on my own how much sleep my body needs, and I’ve adjusted well on my own. After graduation, I ended up getting a job with my dad where he worked at night. I was never really interested in furthering my education or going to college, so I’m glad my parents never forced that on me. My grades were also never an issue as what mattered most was maturing and growing as a person. I was clear during my four years in high school my intention of getting a job immediately after graduation, and this was okay.
I think it’s great when parents allow their kids to take responsibility for themselves so they’re not so dependent when they’re older. I’m very curious to how things were when you were younger if you had stricter parents. Were you thankful for them or did you wish your parents put a little more trust in you?
I’m currently 23, and my parents were actually very lenient and placed a ton of trust on me in high school. My mom was never really around. She was mostly not in my life until I turned 18 pretty much, but neither of us really made an effort. I’ve lived with my dad since I was really young. My dad worked the overnight shift five days a week, Monday through Friday since I’ve started high school, which means he wasn’t at the house all night. There was some trust level to this as I was trusted to go to sleep at a decent time and wake up for school each morning. I’ve only ended up sleeping in once, and it wasn’t thought of as a big deal. As neither of us had a car at the time, he just let me skip school that day.
As for bedtime, I was fortunate to not have one. My dad let me know I was smart enough to figure out on my own how much sleep my body needs, and I’ve adjusted well on my own. After graduation, I ended up getting a job with my dad where he worked at night. I was never really interested in furthering my education or going to college, so I’m glad my parents never forced that on me. My grades were also never an issue as what mattered most was maturing and growing as a person. I was clear during my four years in high school my intention of getting a job immediately after graduation, and this was okay.
I think it’s great when parents allow their kids to take responsibility for themselves so they’re not so dependent when they’re older. I’m very curious to how things were when you were younger if you had stricter parents. Were you thankful for them or did you wish your parents put a little more trust in you?