Are Indian parents too overbearing on their children?

Today, not for the first time, my parents refused to send me out in the night (night being 8'o clock) with my friends. This has happened over several occasions through my childhood. I was not allowed to go on school excursions, as my parents were scared that I would be lost or kidnapped. I was not allowed to go on school tours because they thought I would fall in love with the wrong guy. They never allowed me to stay over at my friends house for a girls night out as they were scared that we would do drugs or drink alcohol. Now, when I am all of almost 25 years old, they still hold me back from the simple pleasures of life...and at this stage I can't help but blame them for my lack of very good friends. The kind who will be there for me no matter what. I have always remained in the out circle of all friend groups, as I was never allowed to spend enough time with anyone. It has resulted in me having a million acquaintances, but very few really really good friends.

This got me thinking about the underlying principle of Indian parenting. While I understand the need for protection, I don't think it is justified when a child's need to grow and understand on his/her own is thwarted. While I understand the need for parents to have the upper hand, I don't understand why it has to be at the expense of a child's freedom.

In an average American household, children are out and on their feet by the time they are 16. I understand that this has led to a lot of problems like teen pregnancies, drug abuse etc. While in an average Indian household, it can be about 25 years, causing children to grow in such a protected environment that they are shocked when they first tread into the world without this protection.

While the American system is at one end of the spectrum, the Indian system is at the other end. And I believe that the best parenting would be something that takes the best of both worlds and combines them to give an environment of freedom coupled with enough discipline to help kids not take up wrong activities.

Beside the fact that this was a rant, I still think it holds good to many people.

Current mood - Mad -

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