Parents who restrict their kids

[jackfaire]

I don't mean normal rules and boundaries I mean things like, "You can spend your money however you want" but then when actually at the store stop their kid from buying something because the parent thinks it is stupid.

I understand educating your kid but pressuring them to not do what they want because you think it is stupid and not for any other reason.

"You shouldn't play that game because I don't like, understand, etc it"

The reallly irritating thing is that then I hear these same parents talk about how their kids are so practical now.

My response to that. Why? Why the hell do they have to be practical now. Helping a kid realize they can save up their allowance to buy something bigger that's good. Not letting the kid blow that money on stupid stuff when they decide that is what they would rather have that's bad.

Hell your also 'protecting' them from a learning experience .

[SorryIsGoodEnough]

When I worked at Barnes and Noble, two young boys came in and decided to buy everything Tolkien that we had. The kids couldn't have been older than 10. Their mother just sat by and said, 'It's their birthday and Christmas money. They can buy what they want.'

I asked them repeatedly if they were sure they wanted 4 editions of The Hobbit, and they said they were sure.

The next day, during school hours, the mother came in lugging all $450 worth of books.

Personally, I wish the mother had just told her kids that they were being ridiculous and to choose one book at a time. THAT would teach practicality.

[Amanita]

My mom was like this. I've lost count of the number of things she has tried to ban me from watching/owning/reading/playing/doing for no other reason than "it's stupid/garbage/rediculous".

I got so sick of her trying to shield me constantly, I wanted so much to tell her to back off, but couldn't.

[jackfaire]

The mom that sparked this told her daughter that owning a Hannah Montana wig would be stupid and why. Rather than learn practicality like the mom seems to think she has she learned how to argue her mom to let her get what the hell she wants.

She found her third choice of something she wanted and told her mom, "And you can't say anything" Her mom thinks, 'Yaaay I taught my daughter practicality'

But the speech she gave her mom yeah that is the "stop telling me I can't use my money to buy what I want speech"

Hell my mom still tries to tell me it's stupid to spend my money on somethings.

Stopping a kid from buying multiple copies of something is one thing. Stopping them from buying it period is wrong.

[Vagabond]

I was allowed to spend my money on anything I wanted. Say, music CDs, for instance - the only rule my mom had was that if she didn't like it, she didn't want to have to hear it and gave me headphones, or had me turn the volume down.

[KitterCat]

God that type of thing would irk me to no end when I work at Renaissance Fairs. One of the booths I've worked at sells shoulder puppets. They are really neat looking and depending on the colors can look really fake, or extremely life like. I’ve always hated it when some kid has brought up their money - that they’ve saved during the year- and the parent decides they don’t want that color/type of puppet so the kid can’t buy it. The whole time they’ll be saying that it’s the kids money, they've spent the year saving it and they can spend it how they wish, just not on that color/type. It makes me want to pull my hair out when I’ve come across some 8 year old bring up a hot pink cat to pay for with money they’ve earned while their mothers telling them they don’t like it. I’ve broken down a couple of times and told them if they don’t like that one, they can buy their own. After all we’d be more than willing to sell two.

[KellyHabersham]

I remember my mom doing that with me regarding music I wanted to buy - up until I was about 15 or so, she'd insist that I submit any albums I wanted to buy to her first......if she didn't approve for whatever reason, I wasn't allowed to buy the said album. (and since I was dependent on her for pocket money at the time, there wasn't much I could do about it)

[KitterCat]

I remember my mom doing that with me regarding music I wanted to buy - up until I was about 15 or so, she'd insist that I submit any albums I wanted to buy to her first......if she didn't approve for whatever reason, I wasn't allowed to buy the said album. (and since I was dependent on her for pocket money at the time, there wasn't much I could do about it)

I can sort of understand what your talking about there. Restrictive doesn’t cover what I went through as a child. All I was allowed to listen to was Classical, some religious music, Simon and Garfunkle and The Beatles. That was it. TV shows were dependent on what my Mom thought about them. For a year Fraggle Rock/The Muppets weren’t allowed because she’d gotten it in her head that Jim Hanson was part of a cult.

But on the other hand if I’ve a 5 year old wanting me to buy them a Marilyn Manson cd I have to admit I’d be more inclined to tell them “No”. There is a difference between being overly restrictive and plan parenting. I’m going to be even more inclined if they’re asking me to spend my money on something I don’t necessarily approve of at that age.

[jackfaire]

See and if it is the parent's money or something you don't want your child exposed to I get it.

This was this girl's money and her mom didn't want her buying things, "That don't last" One of those mom's that doesn't realize 20 minutes of memory is worth more than something lasts a long time but was the thing you wanted the least.

[KellyHabersham]

I can sort of understand what your talking about there. Restrictive doesn’t cover what I went through as a child. All I was allowed to listen to was Classical, some religious music, Simon and Garfunkle and The Beatles. That was it. TV shows were dependent on what my Mom thought about them. For a year Fraggle Rock/The Muppets weren’t allowed because she’d gotten it in her head that Jim Hanson was part of a cult.

But on the other hand if I’ve a 5 year old wanting me to buy them a Marilyn Manson cd I have to admit I’d be more inclined to tell them “No”. There is a difference between being overly restrictive and plan parenting. I’m going to be even more inclined if they’re asking me to spend my money on something I don’t necessarily approve of at that age.

Well, my mom was like this even when I was using my own money........I think part of it was that she was ignorant about bands that were popular at the time, and because an older cousin who was into the bands I liked had told her that they had "filthy" lyrics.

[Fryk]

That was sort of a rule in my house, at least when it came to saturday morning TV. I remember when I was really little I wasn't allowed to watch a cartoon called Galaxy High, because my dad had declared it to be "stupid".

I have since found the show in various places online and watched it, and whether or not my dad was right to ban it, he was right about one thing: it was nuclear level STUPID.

[jackfaire]

I have since found the show in various places online and watched it, and whether or not my dad was right to ban it, he was right about one thing: it was nuclear level STUPID.

I LOVE GALAXY HIGH!!!! Yes it was cheesy and stupid but that was the point back then cartoons didn't have to make the most sense in the world as long as they followed their own logic.

I bought it on DVD as soon as it came out.

[Fryk]

Hi, I'm Booey... Bubblehead?

[jackfaire]

Hi, I'm Booey... Bubblehead?

*shrugs* I also love puns so I am demented.