What are your rules on parenting?

[BroadwayHermione5]

Oh and the dating thing: first off I don’t know what human wouldn’t sneak a date if they were told they weren’t allowed to date until 21.

My parents had a rule I did and didn’t agree with.

Proms and Homecoming dates I was allowed at 14. Dating wasn’t allowed until 16 BUT no honking for me. You had to come to the door and introduce yourself. At 18 after the initial meeting they were ok with a simple honk to let them know they were here especially if we were running late.

I personally don’t mind dating at 14, just as long as you are safe about it (and I’m not talking about the obvious either-I’m also talking about control and potential abuse and other things like peer pressuring into illegal substances)

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

1. Never too early to find work as a chimney sweep.

2. No Crocs.

3. Polygraph sessions every two weeks.

I would’ve lost my mind at no crocs. I love crocs. Crocs are life

 

[mrodgers]

My kids are now out of the house, but at the time:

No dating before 13.
We would prefer if you don't drink underage, but if you do, call for a ride!
Your job is to work hard in school, so don't get a part time job.
No cellphone use at the table.

That reminds me of my only 2 rules. I had girls so first, never get into a car with someone who was drinking. Call me and I'll pick you and any of your friends up and take them home no questions asked. Rule 2 was if you are out partying or whatever, never leave your drink. If you do, get a new one and don't go back to the one you left alone.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

Always tells us the truth (we always got your back and no matter what, you can depend on us).
Treat others how you would like to be treated.
No smoking, no drugs, no alcohol (and NEVER get into a car with someone who has been drinking)
Work hard in school

 

[Mysterian]

I would’ve lost my mind at no crocs. I love crocs. Crocs are life

Grounded!

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

My first rule of parenting was don't pay attention to the dis in how to be a parent. I'm pleased to announce that in my non scientific sample of N=2 parents, it worked out awesome for all kids involved.

Now if you're paying attention to rule 1, I need not put down any more rules because you won't pay attention to them. And if you're not paying attention to rule one then why should I give you the rest of the rules when you can't pay attention to rule 1?

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

My kids are almost 33 and 29.5 f/m respectively. I honestly don't remember giving them concrete rules other than :
Be home on TIME- do not think that coming home late will be accepted- they did
Do NOT lie about where you are going and with whom : my daughter's bff lied to her mom about being with my daughter at our house. There was a snowstorm and her mom called asking if she got here ok. I was dumbfounded and had to answer" ah sorry, but XX isn't here" Long story short, my daughter got grounded for being part of the lie. It was actually the worst thing she ever did ( that I know of).

My mom was terribly strict and I did everything to "get away with whatever it was I could" I didn't want to be like my mom, and I didn't want my kids to be like me. My wish was granted!!!

 

[disney-inspired]

My number one rule has been to not become a parent. I like to keep it simple.

I never thought I'd become a parent and some health issues later, don't have to worry about having kids LOL.

21????

Yeah I found that a bit much.

I would’ve lost my mind at no crocs. I love crocs. Crocs are life

Same! I wear Crocs all the time.

 

[dez1978]

Mine adjust as they grow. But for now my 2 strict rules are no farting at the dinner table (why do boys find that so funny), and homework must be done before we go to practice or watch tablets. Oh, and no tablets while eating. If we go out to eat they can have them while waiting for food to arrive, but they have to use headphones and they put it away when the food gets there.

 

[mefordis]

We don't have any rules. Honestly. My kids self regulate on everything from appropriate portion sizes of food to their time using electroncs to bedtime with no input from me. One of the benefits of autism, I guess. They learned what is expected along the way and act appropriately, no arguments. They are good kids. Haven't given me any grief. My 18 year old won't even take a sip of alcohol when we offer. "I have to wait until I'm 21," he says. My younger one won't eat more than 2 Oreos at a time "the serving size is 2 cookies." They don't even look at girls and have no interest in dating (whew!) They don't want to hang out with friends outside of school. They are happy at home in their rooms, so they don't need a curfew. They have never fought with each other or anyone else. They are the easiest teenagers ever.

Before I was a parent, I had a list of the rules we would have in our house. I haven't needed any of them.

My gosh! I have the girl versions of you kids!! And my 18 yr old doesn't want to drink, either.

 

[DeeBee3]

Kids learn by witnessing your behavior. That's how they know the "rules." Be a good human.

@BroadwayHermione5 if anyone ever came to pick me up for a date and honked for me, I would have told him or her off. No way, Jose.

 

[C&Jx2]

I can't think of any besides the normal ones most people have...

Except maybe that they have to have at least one extracurricular activity whether it is a sport, a club, a job, etc.

 

[TippyThomas]

Not to be one. I know I'm not designed for parenthood so it's something I knew I'd never do.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Kids learn by witnessing your behavior. That's how they know the "rules." Be a good human.

@BroadwayHermione5 if anyone ever came to pick me up for a date and honked for me, I would have told him or her off. No way, Jose.

To be honest, as I got older it’s one thing I agreed with. Like show some respect.

At least in todays day in age you can call or text from the car.

 

[anniemae]

I don't have too many rules. I used to, but as they get older and start to venture off on their own, I realized I just have to trust them and ease up a little. Giving them independence is a good thing. I just tell them not to lie to me and it's okay to disagree with me, but don't be rude about it. Respect goes both ways so I try to listen hard to their perspective on things they disagree with me on.

 

[Lumpy1106]

I had lots of rules for my kids, but they all went out the window when the schools got shut down for COVID. Now I only have one; Go, be a kid, have fun! It's crazy how much more respect I got from my kids when they learned they have my unconditional support.

 

[anniemae]

I had lots of rules for my kids, but they all went out the window when the schools got shut down for COVID. Now I only have one; Go, be a kid, have fun! It's crazy how much more respect I got from my kids when they learned they have my unconditional support.

YES! I was reading an article about how our parents way of parenting i.e "Im the adult, you are the child. You must respect and agree with me" type parenting is so wrong and how we have to break that cycle.

Give them independence, a voice and support and its magic.

 

[Cloudy]

I'm pretty much a Free Range type parent, but I did have one:

No Family Guy. I find it crass and misogynistic. They used to complain because their cousins could watch it.

 

[AppleDumpling]

..

 

[clh2]

Only had 1 daughter…she is a fully functional adult, married with 2 kids of her own.

The big rules in our house-As a member of the house, DD needed to do 1 hour of chores a week. Allowance was not tied to the hour of chores. Extra money could be earned by doing additional chores after the 1st hour was complete. And, I didn’t care which chore(s) she’d did. She had a long stretch of doing the kitchen floor.

The penalty for not doing the 1 hour of chores, was usually related to something she needed a ride to. Oops, it is 5:00 on a Saturday, and your friends are going to a movie? So, sorry, but you didn’t do your chore time this week.