Children who grew up with very strict parents have never had a lot of freedom. As a result, they have developed damaging traits that they’ve carried into adult life. In this article, you’ll find 19 of these traits.
Relying on others
Children who were never allowed to think for themselves grow into adults who are always reliant on others. They find it difficult to make decisions on their own and are constantly looking to others for support and advice. They are adults, but they rely on others like children do.
Unimaginative
The National Institutes of Health says that “imagination is a cognitive process used to generate new ideas from old, not just in the service of creativity and fantasy, but also in our ordinary thoughts about alternatives to current reality.” But children who are never allowed to explore the world and imagine become unimaginative adults.
Unempathetic
A person who grew up in a household where they didn’t have any freedom thinks that this is the norm and doesn’t know any different. This person is used to suffering and can deal with it. As a result, this person finds it hard to sympathize with other people’s suffering.
Like to be alone
Someone who grew up with very strict parents was likely never allowed to spend time with other children. This person was used to spending time alone and has grown up this way too. Instead of seeking the company of others during downtime, this person likes their own company.
Hard-working
People with very strict parents tend to be very hard-working. They always do their very best at any task they’re given because it’s never been an option for them to complete a task half-heartedly. In fact, in the past, they would have been punished for completing a job half-heartedly.
Pessimistic
When a child grows up with parents who are very strict, they have a very negative upbringing. This can make it difficult for the child to feel like anything will go well in their lives. So as adults, they struggle to find positive things about life and are constantly negative.
Impulsive decision-makers
According to Verywell Mind, “People who experience impulsivity may make hasty decisions, get into arguments, and engage in risky behaviors.” An adult who never learned to make their own decisions as a child might find themselves making a lot of risky, impulsive choices when left alone.
Resilient
A child who grew up with very strict parents has learned to be very resilient. Their parents would often insult them, bully them, and work them very hard. They don’t know what it’s like to enjoy life. They’re used to suffering and have become very resilient to it.
Predictable
Strict households tend to follow rigid routines. In that routine, there’s not a lot of room for playing games and enjoying the good things in life. This child grew up with the same routine day in and day out and they became used to living in a very predictable manner.
Revenge seeking
Most children who grew up in extremely strict households realized by the time they reached their teen years that the household they were growing up in was overly strict and not like everybody else’s. This can make them feel resentful as adults, as they crave the childhood they never had.
Analytical
A child who grew up with very strict and volatile parents had to learn to read their body language and hide themselves from potentially dangerous situations. As a consequence, these children have grown into analytical adults who try their best to read every situation and avoid danger.
Low self-esteem
Most children who aren’t given any freedom when they’re younger find it very hard to make decisions when they’re older. Because they’ve never had the freedom to decide what to do and when to do it, they feel unsure about themselves when they have to make decisions for the first time in their adulthood.
Substance abuse
“One possible reason for why authoritarian parents may be increasing the risk of their children developing addiction problems is demand resistance. This behaviour develops among kids who grow up in homes where there are unrealistic expectations placed upon them by parents,” says UK-Rehab. Having overly strict parents can push a person into addiction.
Anxious around others
When a child grows up with angry and very strict parents, they can learn to be afraid of others. They are afraid that a person’s mood might change at the drop of a hat, as would often happen with their parents. Because of this, they are very anxious around others.
Overly lenient
Children who grew up with very strict parents have never had much freedom in their lives. But when they become parents, they want everything to be different. They want their children to be able to do whatever they want, so they become overly lenient parents.
Remorseful attitude
Statistics from Parents show that “two in five children (41%) experience harmful verbal abuse by adults around them.” Growing up in an overly strict household where they’re verbally abused can make children grow into remorseful adults who spend their whole lives longing for the childhood they never had.
Trust issues
A child with very strict parents will be obedient to them because they’re afraid of them. The fear they feel for the people who are supposed to be closest to them makes it very hard for them to trust other people in their lives. They grow up with serious trust issues.
Quiet
There’s nothing wrong with being quiet, but people who are very quiet and reserved might be this way because of the traumatizing childhood they experienced. If their parents were so strict that they never allowed them to make noise or have fun, they’ll grow up to be quiet adults.
Manipulative
When a child grows up in an overly strict household where they are told what to do and don’t have any say whatsoever, they can begin to believe that this way of living is normal. So, when they have children of their own, they manipulate them and treat them in the same way they were treated.
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