Everyone's parenting styles are different, typically because every child is different. Consulting a thousand different parenting books by a hundred different authors will tell you a million different ways to handle a child. However, there are some rules you see in action and just go, "Huh?"
Reddit user, u/MuthaDaddy1, wanted to hear about the most out-there parents when they asked:
What are some ridiculous parenting rules you've seen people use on their kids?
Your Limits Are Here
I'm 16 and not allowed anywhere without an adult. If my friends are having a parent drop us off at the mall or a movie theater then I can't go. I can only go if a parent comes with us.
Now I'm rarely invited anywhere because of it.
Lineage Plays A Big Part In It
True, i have a friend whose indonesian and his parents are BRUTAL, like theyre the stereotypical "we only accept doctors" kind of parents. Never understood that mentality from any parent, really. If you did your job to make sure that they're a well-rounded and good person well, then they could thrive in any job.
Not Truly The Same
GiphyI had friends that were twins - fraternal female twins. Their mom had a different set of rules for them (their dad wasn't in the picture). One was probably emotionally abused while the other was the golden child. The abused one wasn't allowed to hang out with friends while the other had free reign. The golden child would convince their mom to allow the abused one to tag along with her. It was quite sad actually.
Not What You Think They Are
I knew two kids that were "fraternal twins," a boy and a girl. Their parents also had different rules for them. The boy was spoiled and allowed / encouraged to do a lot of things. He played an instrument and joined clubs. The girl...well, I don't remember much about her.
A few years later, my mom (who used to be best friends with their mom) told me that they weren't actually twins. Most people just assumed they were twins because they were basically the same age.
Turns out that their mother had been told she couldn't have children, so she decided to adopt. They found a little girl and had started the adoption process when they found out she was pregnant. They cancelled the adoption, and then she had a miscarriage. So they decided to adopt again. They found another little girl and started the adoption process with her. And then she finds out she's pregnant again, but is afraid to cancel the adoption just in case.
Their little boy was born a few months after their daughter.
I don't think they were especially cruel or abusive to the girl, but they definitely treated their biological son noticeably better. When he turned 16, he got a car. She didn't. I don't know the parents' reasoning for this, but it certainly seemed unfair.
Rules Without Consequences
Not following up on situations they create.
"If you do that one more time, we're going back to the car".
Kids learn quickly when you don't follow through and you end up with a little manipulator who controls your life.
Every. Single. Day.
A friend of mine when he went to university had to call his mother every single day at 8pm to tell her what he'd done that day and what he was studying.
If he was even 10 minutes late she would start calling non stop until he picked up.
0 Screen Time
My friend plans to never let her child near the TV ever and he will be forced to read books even if he hates it, I tried to explain to her that will make him hate reading but she doesn't listen.
Her reasoning is he'll like it if it's all he knows and not be resentful that he can't watch the same shows or play the same games as his friends. She also plans to make him get part time jobs as soon as he's legally old enough, he'd be allowed to go out with friends once a week but beyond that it would be work, homework, reading. She doesn't even plan to let him pick his own books, she'll assign him books she feels are suitable.
Religion Putting The Stop Gaps On
One classmate had Jehovah Witness parents so they don't celebrate holidays or birthdays. Always felt bad for them because our class at the time would have a birthday party or V-Day party and they would just sit in the corner looking glum.
One of my closest friends in Elementary school had the same situation except her parents wouldn't even allow her to be in the room for those days and gave the school a notebook of "extra course work" that she had to do while all of us were eating cake, passing out candy, and learning to draw hand turkeys. I felt bad so I always saved her some candy.
Let's Ask Patrick On This One
growing up, my auntie wouldn't let my cousins watch spongebob squarepants because someone from their church said he was gay.
Floating All Around Me
GiphyI had helicopter parents growing up. where should I begin?
I wasn't allowed to pick my own clothes/outfits until high school. I was only allowed after a huge blow up fight with my parents. I was not allowed to hang out with friends unless my parents knew their parents. Even when my parents knew their parents, I was only allowed to go out with friends if the parents would be around.
One time, I lied and went to the mall with my friends and got caught. Man was that a bad night. I could not stay out past dark even as a 17 year old. I was not allowed to stay home alone until high school (my dad came in strong on my side on this one). I was not allowed to cook anything because fire/knives are dangerous. When I took exams, I would receive one smack on the hands with a ruler for every point lower than 100. I still remember the pain after receiving a 63 on a physics exam.
Redditor Mazider wanted to compare notes on how we've all brutalized our bodies, so they asked:
"What is the most insane thing you’ve put your body through?"
Training to run a 3 minute mile almost killed me.
Like, who the H*LL is chasing me?
Wild
Hungry Debra Messing GIF by Will & GraceGiphy"Currently pregnant with my first kid and realizing how wild this stuff is. Organs relocate themselves, stuff starts hurting in places you didn’t know existed."
toxinogen
The Comeback
"I was paralyzed from the waist down due to a spinal cord injury. Doctors said never walking again was a big possibility. 4-6 hours a day over the past 3-4 years were dedicated to rehab (massaging, stretching, and exercises). After the first year I was walking again, but I couldn’t stand up for too long."
"Now I climb, swim, and weight lift! Deadlift is at 180kg, Squat is 155kg, and Front squat 110 all at the BW of 74kg I think it helped that I’m only 25, but the body does amazing things given the time and effort to care for it properly."
someGuy0202
Getting the Boot
"I injured my calf playing basketball. Didn’t have health insurance at the time (god bless the USA), so decided to not go to ER and treat it myself for a bit to see if it gets better. Friends convinced me it was a high ankle sprain, probably. I iced it, took some ibuprofen, got a boot and a cane from the pharmacy, and went to work the next day (I’m a camera operator/dop for tv shows)."
"I got a sports massage on the calf (hurt like hell) and the pain got better in a week or so. Still didn’t have a range of motion and it was swollen and slightly bruised. Kept working."
"My friend was getting married in St Martin and I promised to film his wedding. So I dragged my a** all the way there from Los Angeles and as I was laying on the beach, one of the wedding guests came up to see why I wasn’t swimming. She looked at my leg and immediately said, 'I’m an MRI technician, and you have a ruptured Achilles.'"
"I couldn’t sleep googling it all night. The swelling, the bruising, and the loss of range of motion were all checked out. Dragged my a** back to LA, got officially married to my fiancé, bought health insurance, and went to a doc... yup, completely ruptured my Achilles. 45 days I was shlepping around like that with it untreated. Got surgery, had a brutal recovery, and had to walk down the aisle with a boot and a cane."
50mm-f2
On the Grind
"I was really heavy on my grind for years, taking caffeine pills, Adderall, and drinking coffee all the time... one night it was so bad that I could feel my kidneys throbbing, my back was sore from dehydration... my chest was bumping so hard that it sounded like a drum in my ear. I thought to myself, maybe I should go to the hospital. What I ended up doing was going right back to sleep. To this day, my heart can't take much stress or I get chest pains."
NaiveAd8426
Fractured
New Girl Facepalm GIF by HULUGiphy"Motorcycle accident. Fractured my skull in a couple of places, and burst an eardrum. Was in the hospital for a month, apparently acting like a child, only people I recognized were my mother, cousin, and best friend. Also, couldn't move my left eye because a nerve and/or muscles moving it pinched by the crack under it. They had to put a metal bit to close the gap."
.arnelthelionjr
I need four wheels.
I can do a bike, but motorcycles are a no.
Less Distance
Go Go Go Running GIFGiphy"A 50k run… seriously sucked and made me stop running long distances. I've done marathons before and didn’t think the jump-up would be as big of a deal as it was. Now I stick to 10k and 15k."
JD054
Gotta Go
"Being there for someone caught in addiction. The late-night calls to come take care of them, the countless trips and hours in the hospital. The mood swings and all of it started taking a toll on me physically to the point I started feeling like I was the one using. I had to walk away after realizing there was nothing I could do. She lost her battle a little over a year ago and it tore me up. Still working through it but it’s a daily process. Rip LD and I hope you finally have peace."
Dirty_Boy_Jay
All work/No play
"Working everyday 12+ hours without a day off, for more than a month."
Any_South2605
"This is tougher than most people think, especially if it's high-intensity work in the heat or cold. I do outages every year that are usually at least two weeks, approximately 12-14 hours a day. Some days they hit over 20 hours, it takes its toll after a week or so. Especially if you have a family. I lost 10 lbs in my last outage, stressed as hell trying to oversee a critical path project."
TheSwissRussian
The Worst
"The whole Appalachian trail was pretty tough but so spread out it didn’t seem that bad. Thought long-distance hiking (trail legs) = marathon (running legs)… that was NOT the case. Worst pain ever. Took almost 2 years to enjoy running in any form then I ran a 50-mile ultra marathon a few weeks ago, proper training kept the pain at bay."
forvillage22
Hazards
hazard GIFGiphy"Went into a secure facility to train to do my job as a chem ops specialist in a live environment where nerve gas exposure was a real risk."
jackfaire
Chemicals are always an issue.
How people do jobs near chemicals I'll never know.
Strangers online came through with the fantasy scenario when Redditor Ithaqua3406 asked:
"If you suddenly had 'f'k you' money what would be the first thing you did?"
Some Redditors felt philanthropic.
Family First
"Retire my immediate family."
– Ziggu12
"I'd pay off my parents' house and other debts and then send my brother a check for $0.81."
– She_Persists
This One's For You, Pops
"I'd retire my dad (46M) immediately. After my mom left when I was 13 (25M now) he stepped up to be in the role of both parents to us 3 kids and we struggle bussed pretty hard for a few years until i was able to start working to help out even though he said i never had to. I haven't seen my mom since I was 17. Both my younger sisters and I are eternally grateful for this man. He taught me everything I needed to know to grow up and be the man I'm now today. So, I'd return that favor. I'd buy him a house with a big a** garage and work space so he could work on his classic cars and trucks all he wants. I'm in that mindset now, I'm working to not only have a successful life right now but to take care of my own family and him."
–Slwrolla
Let the indulging begin.
Simplified Order
"I'd order Dominos without optimising the order to fit one of the deals."
– Si1Fei1
"Changing it to pan? Dollar fifty more. Bastards."
– DrGPeds
Unobstructed View
"I'd buy the first 3 rows of a Ja Rule concert to keep them empty."
– Usr_115
"50 cent is that you lol."
– eks91
Tough Lesson
"I'd get dental implants so I wasn't in constant pain/ didn't look like I started every day with a hearty breakfast of crack."
"Edit: The feel compelled to say that I've never smoked crack or meth in my life. I did all my damage with cigarettes, sugar, and good old fashioned neglect. I didn't brush my teeth nearly enough, often going days or weeks between brushing. Yes, depression. I didn't feel like there was a point, and now I'm at a what I consider to be a catastrophic level of damage. I haven't actually felt any tooth pain in a very long time unless you count poking my tongue or cheek with a jagged bit once in a while. I had two initial quotes from dentists, one for $15,000 and another for $17,000. Both came with the caveat that they'd likely cost more because of an unknown number of extractions that'd require surgical removal. Dental tourism isn't really an option, I'd be looking at multiple procedures requiring recovery and return trips that I'd rather not make internationally, alone, and require being put under for surgery, I'd rather not go that route. I live paycheck to paycheck, and not well. I bring home about $2800 a month and finances not covered by my medical insurance (and even those tbh...) in the scales of thousands of dollars are a fanciful dream not even worth thinking about for me. Yes. America."
"If you read nothing else in the post:"
"Brush your f'king teeth."
– uglymiddleagedloser
A Tasty Luxury
"Get a permanent personal chef, so that I can eat delicious food all the time, and in a relatively healthy way."
– Alkazeel
"This here is overlooked. Having some great chef that would also double as grocery shopper doing great food 3 or 4 days a week? Under 10 grand a month."
– PhillieUbr
Who would need a job?
Not these Redditors.
Peace Out
"Quit my job. I'm at the point I may do it anyway honestly."
– e22ddie46
“'What’s the point in having f'k you money if you can’t say f'k you.' Bobby Axelrod"
– smitcal
Off The Grid
"Disappear."
– YoungHermit92
"pay for a helicopter to come pick you up from work, 2 guys in suits come out, ask you to come back 'for one last job', you say you were retired, and ask why can't John handle it, the suits just shake their heads and say 'it's worse than last time, and they already have John.'"
"you look back, wave your coworkers goodbye, and get on the chopper, never to be seen again."
– Dravarden
See Ya Later Alligator
"Quit my job. It's not that it's a bad job, I actually do like it, but I don't have time for it! I would rather live my life and go on adventures. So many things to see and experience in this world and life. :)"
– chocolate_orca
Alternative To Quitting
"Never quit. Purchase the company while still working in the trenches without revealing that you're the new CEO. Begin making all the decisions you can see should happen because you're there. Fire bad bosses and managers, get yourself 'voluntold' to go to other stores/offices for various excuses, listen to the fellow employees b*tch about corporate and quietly fix the problems they bring up."
– Bridgebrain
Worthy Replacement
"I’d buy the company I work for burn it down and collect the insurance money and build a public restroom in its place."
– Doublecutz
If I had money burning a hole in my pocket, I'd rent out Disneyland for the night so my LGBTQ+ friends and I can have the happiest place on earth to ourselves in a safe space without the judgment of conservative guests.
Oh, wait, I already experienced that when Disney hosted their official Pride Nite last month!
Then I'll pay for another night of that, please, but this time at Walt Disney World in Orlando because they didn't host such an event there for a certain reason.
There'll be lots of rainbow balloons, confetti, and queerness all over the entire resort to make our presence known in the Sunshine State.
Methinks that's the ideal "f'k you money" scenario.
"What was a brilliant idea but poorly executed?"
$10 A Month For $4 Thousand Worth Of Movie Tickets... How Could It Go Wrong?
"Moviepass, i.e. a monthly subscription service to see as many movies as you want for a flat fee."
"The core concept is actually solid."
"The big risk with unlimited subscriptions is induced demand, where people consume more of your product because their unit price drops."
"Movie theaters are mostly fixed costs, however, they don't really care about induced demand outside of opening weekend for big blockbusters (which you can make special rules about)."
"As long as a movie isn't sold out, you'd basically take any amount of money for the empty seats."
"Even if someone sees ten movies in a month, you're still probably making money even if you only charged them two movie's worth, and that's before potential concession sales."
"That said, the theaters have to be on board, and Moviepass launched without first getting them to agree to such a system."
"Instead, Moviepass had to pay full price to the theaters for every single movie seen."
"Their prices were not fixed, and as a result the induced demand absolutely crushed them."- Notmiefault
Microsoft Clearly Didn't Read The Book Of Genesis...
"Microsoft Zune."- TheDadaMax
"Great product, poorly marketed."
"But it was (imo) vastly superior to the iPod."- EnigmaCA
technology rip GIF by gifnewsGiphySo, So, Sad...
"Recycling."
"I wish it was great everywhere."- Glitchykins8
Biking Without The Peddling
"The Segway."
"It was hailed as what the car was to the horse and buggy."
"Built by a famous inventor it never took off."
"One of the most hyped inventions of all time."- Swimming_Stop5723
Way Too Soon... (On So Many Levels)
"Selling tickets to dive in a sub to see the Titanic."- nullrecord
Titan Submarine GIF by GIPHY NewsGiphyNot The Right Prescription
"Google Glass."
"I remember when people were talking about how it was gonna be the next 'big thing' and it failed."- LouisTheFox
When You Can't Help But Miss Used Car Salesmen...
"Carvana."
"Loved the idea of putting more control of the car-buying experience back in the hands of the buyer but myself and my wife both had a harrowing experience buying through them and their 'hassle-free' return process was absolutely riddled with hassles."- Grand-wazoo
train help GIFIt Literally Had People Seeing Red...
"Nintendo's Virtual Boy."- TailsxCream4Eva
"Nintendo's Power Glove."- mezz7778
"RoB the Robot."- DiscussionLoose8390
One Of Many Failed Ideas In US Education
"I think No Child Left Behind was a good concept."
"But basing school funding on standardized tests just crushed anything good out of it— the rich schools with funding for equipment and higher-end teachers got more money, and the schools that needed financial help got probation and threats of funding withdrawal."
"As a former teacher, I loved the idea that a kid could move to another school mid-semester and be learning the same concept in each subject as the school they left, but instead any kid who wasn’t immediately grasping concepts was forced to fail upwards."
"Failing upwards hurts all of us."- bp_516
Ha!
"Fyre Festival."- Old_Army90
"I’ve always thought that it could have worked if it had been planned years in advance."
"I have to admit, the idea of a music festival on a Caribbean island still intrigues me."
"The problem is that the island location alone presents major logistical hurdles."
"By definition, everything on an island is harder to acquire, from food to land."
"Add to that the issues of promised catered meals and guaranteed luxury lodging and you have serious mountains to climb to pull off the festival."
"With enough lead time to construct the bungalows and hire enough food services to prepare the meals, it is feasible, but trying to pull it off in a few months time made it impossible."
"Sure, Woodstock ‘69 was planned in less than a year, but festival attendees weren’t promised lodging and food."
"They knew they’d be camping and would have to get their own provisions."
"Even then, there were logistical hurdles, such as the New York State Thruway succumbing to complete gridlock."
"Still, as far as festivals go, it was a relatively simple set-up."
"A better approach would have been for Fyre, the music booking app company behind the festival, to start small, such as on a beach somewhere with no inclusion of lodging or catering in the ticket packages."
"Concertgoers would know what to expect, and the festival would have been a lot more successful."
"If Fyre had done that for a few years, they would have built trust in their name brand, so when the time came for an actual festival on an island, Fyre Festival could have booked enough contractors to build lodging and hired enough vendors to make food for the whole weekend."
"Unfortunately, Billy McFarland’s hubris was enough that he wanted to skip ahead of the build up and go straight for the opulent."- Brunt-FCA-285
ja rule fyre festival GIFGiphyMore Like Great Leap Backwards...
"China's Great Leap Forward."
"The idea was to improve the country, but it ended with one of the worst man-made natural disasters in history."- Kartoffelkamm
While a good idea always requires imagination, we must also remember it's very easy for our imaginations to get the better of us.
Reality often has a way of bringing us back down to Earth and making us realize what looks good on paper doesn't always deliver.
(But seriously... who actually thought the Fyre Festival was going to work?)