Your Parents Did A Good Job Raising You If They Made You Follow These 11 Strict Rules
While some parents may face criticism for being too strict, it's also important to teach kids boundaries.

In this digital age when it's become easier and easier to compare everything about everyone, it can feel overwhelming and taxing to hear constant feedback about how you might be raising your children. One of the only ways you can gauge the best way to parent your children is by learning from your own childhood — and you can rest assured that your parents did a good job raising you if they made you follow certain strict rules.
You may not have liked them at the time, enforcing consistent rules is critical for teaching children what behaviors are and are not acceptable, not only in your home, but in the outside world. While it's normal for children to push boundaries and test the rules as they are growing up, providing them with a structured environment ultimately leads to them becoming self-sufficient, capable, and likeable adults.
Your parents did a good job raising you if they made you follow these 11 strict rules
1. No phones or electronic devices at the dinner table
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Some might argue that kids should be able to have fun and not be made to give up their tablets or phones during a family dinner. But part of being a family is being together, and the distraction of devices means not being present to connect over a meal.
According to research published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, phone use during a meal led to a modest but noticeable decrease in diners’ enjoyment. Using technology at the table caused people to feel more distracted and less socially engaged, leading to a drop in enjoyment.
Family dinners should be a time when kids share updates happening in their lives and at school, engage in discussions about things that interest them, and learn proper etiquette (which certainly doesn't include having your face stuck in a phone).
2. Having an early bedtime
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According to research led by a professor at Daemen College, teens who don't get sufficient sleep are more likely to suffer from symptoms of depression. The researchers found that although the majority of families in the study reported having bedtime rules, 47% of parents did not have an enforced bedtime, 30% did not have pre-bedtime rules for screen usage, and 48% had no enforced rules regarding afternoon or evening caffeine consumption.
"An early bedtime benefits a child’s physical health, as well as mood and mental health because it allows time for restorative sleep, which is important for the repair and recovery of the brain and the body," Reut Gruber, researcher at McGill University in Canada and director of the Attention, Behavior and Sleep Lab at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute explained to CNN.
There can definitely be flexibility in allowing your children to stay up late on special occasions, whether that's because a family event ran late or there's a movie they want to stay up and finish. As with most things, it's also about balance. But overall, parents should make sure their kids feel rested and ready to tackle the day ahead of them.
3. Daily chores must be completed in a timely manner
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If there's one thing kids will constantly complain about, it's having to do chores around the house. Some people might argue that making kids clean the bathroom, mop the floors, or tidy up their rooms is having them do things they shouldn't have to do at their age, but these kind of chores are actually quite beneficial. They learning important skills they will definitely need once they leave the nest, whether that's for college or when the time comes for them to want to live on their own.
Harvard's Study of Adult Development followed two groups of people: 268 Harvard graduates from the classes of 1939 through 1944, and 465 men who grew up in poor inner-city neighborhoods in Boston. Participants were observed over a 75-year period, and the findings showed a difference when it came to chores.
"The researchers found that those who were given chores as adults ended up being more independent, better able to work in collaborative groups, and better able to understand that doing hard work means you’re a valuable member of a community."
4. All gift-givers should receive 'thank you' notes
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Even as adults we might turn our noses up at having to write "thank you" cards. It can seem like a lot of work, but in the end, the people who receive them feel appreciated and seen. That's why kids need to learn that writing "thank you" notes to the people in their lives is a great way to show just how much they mean to them.
"I think the main reason kids ought to write thank you notes is that grateful people are happy people. Gratitude is a key factor in enduring long-term happiness, and training our children to appreciate what they have and what they receive is an important way to instill this trait in them," Raffi Bilek, a family therapist, explained to Postable, a custom card company.
Parents are encouraged to really take the time to explain to their children the importance of giving thanks. It's not only a nice thing to do, but a gesture that can teach them values they need to really foster and nurture a relationship.
5. Limited screen time
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According to a study on OCD published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, which tracked more than 9,200 children for two years starting at ages 9 to 10, researchers logged how much time the kids spent on devices and found that 4.4% qualified for a new OCD diagnosis. Similarly, in a study of 7,097 children published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, having anywhere from one to four hours of screen time per day at age one is linked with higher risks of developmental delays in communication, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal and social skills by age two.
There may be some circumstances where parents have difficulty controlling how often their kids play on tablets and iPads, but children can definitely be just as productive playing outside, reading books, or hanging out with their friends. There's clearly no need to shame parents who are simply trying their best, but the use of electronic devices should be limited when possible and should never entirely replace other activities.
6. Having a strict curfew
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While this mostly applies to preteens and teenagers, parents should be able to give their kids a bit of freedom as they grow older when it comes to spending time outside the house, whether they're attending a party or simply meeting up with friends. At the same time, there needs to be reasonable boundaries regarding the time they are required to be back home. At the end of the day, they're still minors living under their parents' roof.
A strict curfew doesn't need to be at an unreasonably early hour where a teen may feel as if they are being held on a tight leash, but it should be strict in the sense that it's enforced and the child knows they need to be in the house at a certain hour. Not only is this important for their sleeping habits, but it also teaches them the importance of responsibility and adhering to a deadline, even if it's something like a curfew.
7. Saving a portion of the money earned from a job or an allowance
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According to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, 13% of U.S. adults say they don't know much, or know nothing at all, when it comes to personal finances. It's extremely rare for kids to learn about finances and money management while still in school, and a majority of people only learn about budgeting once they become adults and are making their own income, which can be the worst time to start learning.
The best way for kids to learn about money management is through their parents, and it can be as simple as making your kids put aside a portion of the money they earn from a job or from the allowance they are given.
According to Bankrate, teaching kids the basics of money management can help them develop the skills necessary to achieve financial success later in life. From teaching them how to save to helping them create creative budgeting sheets, these money lessons can truly give your child a leg up once they start working as an adult with bills to pay.
8. Sleep overs had to be at homes of people parents know and trust
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We live in an unpredictable and sometimes terrifying world where things as innocent as a sleepover between two children can result in nefarious circumstances. As much as parents want to assume the best, it's also important to prepare for the worst and be vigilant.
In an interview with USA Today, school counselor Phyllis Fagell admitted that U.S. parenting has veered toward being a bit overprotective. She insisted that if a parent feels resistant or hesitant about sleepovers, especially at the home of someone they know and trust, it's important for parents to examine their motivations.
"As parents, I think if your decision not to have sleepovers comes from a place of fear, I would caution parents to pause and ask themselves, what is my anxiety?" she said. As long as it's someone that a parent knows personally and feels strongly that their child will be safe with, then it shouldn't be as big of a deal compared to someone they may not know as well.
9. Greet everyone respectfully
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There's nothing worse than bringing a friend over to meet your family as an adult and they walk in without saying any sort of greeting. While it may seem self-explanatory to impose manners onto a child when they're growing up, there are definitely some households that don't stress the importance of always greeting people when you step into a room.
It's such a valuable life skill and teaches kids the importance of social skills, respect, courtesy, and how vital it is to leave a good, lasting first impression.
10. No allowance without contribution
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Getting an allowance without earning it by completing chores or other responsibilities misses a large part of the point. By giving children money without them having to earn it, parents risk teaching them that they should expect rewards to come to them without having to put in any effort, or that they are entitled to things for simply existing.
Parents are instilling a sense of accountability and initiative within their children when they make it clear that a chore not being done will result in them not receiving their allowance for the week.
11. Homework before any kind of fun
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This may seem like an overly rigid rule to some. They may think of it as depriving kids of being able to have fun before having to sit for hours to complete their homework once school is over.
However, if you lay that foundation of academic success being just as important as playing and having fun in life, you're teaching children to prioritize accomplishment. You're also teaching them good time management skills.
They'll likely get through their homework more quickly without having spent all of their energy, leaving them more time for fun and relaxation.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.