The rules our parents make...

[carynb]

When do I stop following the rules my mother laid down when I was a child?

I'm not talking about the big "don't steal things", "don't hit people", and "say please and thank-you" - type rules that are generally accepted as, y'know, proper and civil behaviour. I'm talking the quirky little things that parents do to try to control their kids in some way.

For instance? One big rule in our house, growing up was "if you're too sick to go to school, you're to sick to go outside and play [or visit a friend, or go to choir practice, or anything else fun]".

So here I am at work. My head hurts, my ears hurt, my stomach's queasy, I have no voice - but I'm at work. Why? Because I want to go out to Cambridge to see my guy tonight, and if I don't go to work, I'm not "allowed" to go do something fun. Even if that something is "get to Cambridge, collapse into bed from the sick".

Isn't it weird, the way these rules your parents insist on just define the way you live your life?

Maybe I should just go home...

Comments

[persephoneplace.livejournal.com]

yep, i get that one. When i was raising the kids tho, i bent it slightly - when it was a sick that was less obvious, then a quiet day was called for - but for stuff that was pretty clear cut and obvious they could have entertainment. I didn't generally let them go out - for a couple of reasons - kids are terrible about doing up their coats, and i was concerned about what others would think to some extent. Terrible to confess that i sometimes parented from that place - but i wanted the schools for example to trust that when i said the kids were ill that they were - and if they were seen going to the store it could put that in doubt.

[carynb.livejournal.com]

Y'know, I always assumed that Mom had that rule in place to prevent us from playing hookie, but there was probably a little of this in the mix, too. Everyone on my street had kids who went to my school, a number of them in my grade, and I would imagine questions would be asked if I was seen to be out playing on a day I'd stayed home.