What do you wish your parents had been stricter about?

[SnugglyJumpersMakeItBetter]

For me it's sugar consumption, especially fizzy drinks as a teen. My mum would buy coke for me as my main drink, the way other people have water or squash. At the time I thought she was cool but now I don't have much of my original teeth left and I regret it every day! I'd rather she'd been strict!

What do you wish your parents had said no to, with hindsight?

was interested in learning to play, but having to practise for an hour every day, on top of private school homework, at least one (and often 2) daily extra-curriculars, made it a chore rather than a joy.

I guess it varies from person to person. I made my daughter practice every day for 40 minutes and now she’s 30 and a reasonably good pianist (hobby not professional) she says it’s the thing she’s most grateful to me for making her do.

Suntan lotion. Always had sunstroke as a kid. Didn’t seem to occur to them that this could be prevented.

Fascinating thread. I'm taking notes...

Nothing really, they were rather too strict about most stuff. Actually, I wish they’d been more strict with themselves, in terms of socialising with other parents, making friends etc. An asocial father and introverted mother was not a recipe for socially successful offspring.

Parents way too struct here but I'm reading with interest as I suspect I am not struct enough with mine.

nothing

Going to a grammar/boarding school

I think my parents should have allowed room for emotion and not disciplined so much all the time. They would take it very personally if I was in a bad mood / having a bad day. And then I would be stepping on egg shells not to get in trouble when actually I needed just to express being in an emotional/ bad mood. Repressing was not good for me. I didn’t feel safe to just be feeling whatever I was feeling. Still as an adult I feel uncomfortable infront of them with any kind of emotion.

Sun protection. I have so much visible sun damage from being encouraged to tan as a teen/young adult. Not to mention the risk of cancer.

I wish they’d made me do homework and taken an interest in it. I did no homework . I wish they’d let me do Art and hadn’t discouraged my interest in the career paths I wanted to pursue. Consequently I never enjoyed any job I had.

I really wish mine would have pushed me harder with hobbies. Not forced me to do something, but helped me to find something I love and can get really good at. My son is 7 and competing in BMX, he's obsessed with it, doesn't stop talking about it, and I now live at the BMX track. I tried probably 10 hobbies until he found one he loved. We've never been happier as a family of two! I wish I had had the same.

I wish they had pushed me to do 2 a levels not 3 plus pushed me to attend a better uni. The college I did my degree in was quite a low grade one. I have underachieved academically.

They also weren't at all streetwise so I had to learn emotional intelligence all on my own.

Everything, really. Mine never knew where were or what we were doing, no guidance or consequences at all. Some pretty horrible things happened because I'd no idea or support to navigate life. SIL made a comment recently that it was DM's fault DB was so strict on DN's. DM was distraught and I had to explain what she meant.

I also wish they'd encouraged & supported activities & school work. I'd have done so much better & had more confidence if I'd felt worthwhile.

DM has seen how I am with my DC says she doesn't know how or why I do it all (she never worked btw). She's truly perplexed and said 'it never crossed her mind to do any of it'. I had no words for that, except 'seriously?'.

I meant 3 a levels not 2.