Why?
Don't ask. Just don't. I'm working off of very little sleep and high energy levels due to my book "The Princess & I" being over 60,000 words long...and still going strong! (Excuse me while I run around my house screaming)
Oh, you're curious now and must have an answer?
Fine.
I'M WRITING IT BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT.
I told you not to ask. You were warned and may therefore NOT sue me for yelling at you over the internet.
*clears throat*
Do you ever get mildly irritated when a conversation like the following happens?:
Person: Hey, do you want to come with me and some friends from church to watch this really popular movie in the theaters?
Me: Thanks for the offer, but I think I'm going to have to skip.
Person: How come?
Me: Well...a couple reasons. First, Mom and Dad don't like me watching movies they haven't watched, and second I'm not allowed to go to an event like that without a parent. Nothing against you, it's just that I need to follow our family rules.
Person: Boy, you have really strict parents.
Or maybe one like this?:
Person: Do you want to come and hang out at my house tomorrow?
Me: No thanks.
Person: Why not?
Me: I don't think my parents would want me too.
Person (knowingly): Afraid you might be grounded?
Me: No, actually, I just want to obey them...although, now that you mention it, I would get in trouble if I disobeyed them.
Person: Your parents must be really protective.
Me (waits until they walk away before muttering): At least I know they love me enough to protect me.
Well, if you do, never fear. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I feel the same. Over the years, especially as I get into my upper teens and nearing adulthood, people have begun to wonder what on earth keeps me from rebelling against my parents.
I'm not perfect by any stretch of the imagination...and that's saying something, considering how active my imagination is. I've disobeyed my parents before, I've rebelled against their decisions before...
But, after all was said and done, they were ALWAYS right. Granted, my parents aren't perfect either...I know, don't die from the shock. Seriously, there's only been one human to ever NOT make a mistake...and He was also God. So.
Our family has some rules (spoken and unspoken) that confuse people, as do most families. My parents' make it a point to monitor our access to the internet, movies, books, and music selections. My dad prefers his girls to wear skirts...except when it's obviously more modest to be wearing jeans. We are never allowed on outings with friends by ourselves, and usually take a sibling or parent with us when its something we really can't miss like a special birthday party.
Of course, as we get older, our parents allow more liberties in those things. We aren't doomed to be stuck watching The Jungle Book or Finding Nemo forever. (Not that I have anything against those two movies...I only used them as an example. I actually like both of them a lot :) At a certain age, we older ones were allowed to watch movies like Star Wars or LOTR.
As you can see, I've been allowed to blog for over three years, and I had an e-mail for about a year before that. I sometimes watch YouTube videos.
However, I haven't watched Harry Potter, Captain America, Doctor Who, Pirates of the Caribbean or The Hobbit. Why? Mom and Dad don't think I'm ready for them yet.
Nor do I do Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pintrist. Why? Mom and Dad don't think I should be spending so much time on the internet.
We have certain books in our house that we're not allowed to read until we reach a certain age. Books like the LOTR trilogy and Red House Mystery, a murder mystery by A. A. Milne both of which I wasn't allowed to read until I was thirteen. I didn't read any of the Sherlock Holmes stories until I was fourteen. I can't read Les Misrables until I'm eighteen.
The music we are allowed to download on our iPods is parent approved. (Our Dad is a bit of a music nerd, so this isn't as terrible as it might sound to some. Yep, now you know where I got it. ;)
Do I mind? Do I think my parents are being overly protective?
My answer to those questions is a resounding NO. I am happy my parents have done this for our family. I don't think I'm missing out on much to be honest. ;)
Ok, so our family is more strict than most Christian families...more so than a lot of homeschooling families too. But. I AM SO GLAD. Relieved actually. I have enjoyed my sheltered life quite a lot. :) Being protected isn't as bad as some people try to make it out as.
It really rubs me the wrong way when people sound so sorry for me when they hear about our quirky family rules. I get a little sick when they go on and on about how mad I must be to have such overly protective parents. Really, I've been sorely tempted on a couple occasions to yell "I'M GLAD THEY PROTECT ME, OK??? GLAD!!!!"
I love that Mom and Dad will preview movies before announcing the age limit and letting us kids watch it...if its ok for kids to watch it.
I love that Mom and Dad make sure we aren't reading complete junk. I can attribute much of my love of reading to Dad's enthusiasm for good books. I've been surrounded by one of the best picked libraries ever since I was born.
I love that Dad enjoys a variety of music, just like me. He and I both could listen to music 24/7 if possible. Whether its classical, soundtrack, sacred, pop, or something completely random like rhythmic clapping or classical whistling (I'm not kidding about those two) he will share it with me if he likes it and thinks I will.
I love that they monitor my internet access and make sure all the people I know online are actually real people who would make me good friends and encourage me in my walk with God. Not to mention pull me away when I'm spending WAAAY too much time on there. *sheepish grin*
They have always been there for me. Whenever I have a question about whether something is appropriate or not, I may ask my friends and listen to their answers, but I will always hold my parents' opinions over theirs. (No offense you guys ;) They may not always be right, but they have been most of the time so far.
Eventually, I'll have to leave our cozy nest and help my husband build one of our own.
Eventually, my family rules will merge with his family rules and our own family rules will be the result.
Eventually, our world is going to change so much that some of our rules may have to change also.
But for now, I love being protected.
I love living under their wings.
And I wouldn't trade my life for yours...even if you were to offer me a million dollars, a horse, and the chance to publish my books and have them sell copies all over the world.
Yep. I love it that much.
Be jealous. ;)
Classical whistling? No fooling! That sounds really interesting. I may have to look some up.. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'd say I live a "sheltered life" as well. And I agree with you, I like it. :)
"Protective" parents are great, huh? We sure are blessed, aren't we? :D
David Morris is amazing! Definitely check his music out!! :)
DeleteAh, isn't it awesome! :) They're so great. ^_^
I think one of the most frustrating things for me is when I tell someone I can't do it because my parents would prefer me not to, and they're like "Can't you think for yourself?"
ReplyDeleteAUGH! Yes, I can. And I know my parents love me and are looking out for me and I WANT to stay protected by them. And maybe, just maybe, I actually agree with my parents about this. It is possible, you know. *insert sarcasm*
Okay, I've never actually said that to anyone, but boy there are times I've felt like it! Thankfully, though, a lot of my friends come from families of similar backgrounds (Like you! :)) so those kind of conversations don't come up too often. ;)
Thank you so much for sharing, Rebekah! I enjoyed reading through this, and I agree with all of it. My parents may not have exactly the same standards as yours, but in many ways they are the same. And I love being protected. I agree, I wouldn't trade it for anything!!!
Gah! I know, right? A lot of the things I think about people who say things negatively about my parents I never say out loud...which is good because I'd probably regret the words later. >_<
DeleteIt's such a blessing to have friends who have the same, or close to the same, standards as you. They understand!! :)
You're welcome! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
I like my "sheltered life" as well. :)
ReplyDeleteThankfully, I don't think I've ever had someone "feel sorry" for me. (yet anyways) ;)
I love my parents and I am glad they love me enough to protect me. :D
As you should. :)
DeleteCount yourself prepared to face it all now. ;) If they haven't shown up yet, they probably will at come point. Just remember to be polite, if subtly sarcastic. ;)
Aw! Remember to tell them that!! ^_^
Well done, Rebekah! You covered pretty much everything. ;) Out of curiosity, may I ask why you are allowed to watch "The Lord of the Rings", but not "The Hobbit"? We are really protected in what we watch, too, and I just saw "Lord of the Rings" for the first time last fall! I appreciated all of the Biblical connections.
ReplyDeleteI think it's because there's more violence in it? But I would have to ask. I'm not really sorry to miss watching it though, because I've heard from parents (and a few older siblings) that it's not as close to the book as we would want it, and there's a lot of added stuff to stretch the one book into three movies. It's kind of sad really. I loved the book so much, and the movie apparently hasn't done it justice. :(
DeleteNo, the movie was not half as good, but I still really enjoyed it. I do believe that it is a bit more violent than LOTR, but it's hard to say. Let us know when you do watch it!
DeleteI might do a movie review on it...we'll have to see. ;) Thanks for your input!
DeleteWow! I loved this post! (And I am remembering your post on using the word love)
ReplyDeleteYay! Thank you! :)
DeleteMy family is much the same, but of course not exactly the same. I LOVE being sheltered. Naturally, there are times when it is frustrating; however, I can't say "Thank You" enough to my parents. I don't watch/read certain things until they are okay with it, my internet is limited, I don't have FB, Pinterst, etc. and I've never had a boyfriend. And that's GOOD! I'm so grateful to have parents who care enough about me to protect me so much! I loved this post! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I'm glad your parents approved your friendship with me! ;)
Oh, yeah. EVERY family is going to be different. ;) Just like I know my future family is going to be different. I totally get what you're saying. :)
DeleteYou're so welcome! I'm glad it was a blessing!
P.S. Me too! ;)
When I was little, I hated being so sheltered. But now that I see how some of my friends have turned out I can see I'm so blessed. So I can relate xD
ReplyDeleteThere are "Those Times" when you really feel like you wish you could do more than your parents allow...but yes, once you're older, you realize not all those things you wanted to do so badly were good for you. Thanks for the comment!
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