We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us the hardest part about growing up with conservative parents. Here's what they had to say.
1. Your friends finally just stopped inviting you out because they assumed your parents wouldn't allow it.
2. But on the rare occasions they did let you go out, you definitely had the earliest curfew of all your friends.
When youre the first one who has to go home after a super chill day with the squad
—Danidelly Morillo, Facebook
3. You heard the "my house, my rules" speech more times than you can count.
4. Guilt trips were your parents' preferred form of punishment, and you could literally feel the disappointment emanating from their souls.
5. Going to a friend's sleepover was a HUGE no-no because your parents "didn't know the other family well enough."
6. Constantly lying to your parents made you feel bad, but you knew it was the only way you'd get to have any fun.
7. You still remember getting your mouth washed out with soap the first time your parents heard you curse.
8. Most PG-13 movies were strictly forbidden. And R-rated ones? You knew better than to even ask.
9. There were restrictions on what TV shows you could watch too, so if the TV was on, chances are it was on the news.
10. Your parents had serious reservations about letting you read Harry Potter or play Pokémon because they might corrupt you.
11. As a result, your friends' pop culture references always seemed to go over your sheltered head.
12. "The talk" with your parents — if it happened at all — went something like this:
13. Asking for permission to get a tattoo or piercing nearly started World War III...
14. ...and if you tempted the fates and got one anyway, you lived in constant fear that they'd find out.
15. You had to keep your love life secret because your parents were NOT into you dating.
16. In fact, you kept most details of your social life secret, just in case there was something they disapproved of.
17. Chances are, if the church doors were open, you were there, whether or not you wanted to be.
18. And there was no such thing as sleeping in on a Sunday, even if you were "sick."
19. Dressing yourself was a constant tug-of-war with your parents, who thought your outfit was too revealing no matter how many layers you were wearing.
When your parents won't let you out because your outfit is too revealing
20. And while turning 18 was a big deal to you, it meant little to your parents, who insisted you still follow their rules.
21. But the hardest part was knowing that everything they did was a product of their undying love, and, despite it all, you couldn't help but love them back.
