Probably not the best description, but I'm interested in parents who enforce "extreme" and "unreasonable" rules on their children.

Rules which go against what is "normal" for other families.

I don't have children, but I follow some personal rules very strictly, and wonder how I would handle it with children. Keeping myself in line can be difficult in todays world, but children are even more impressionable, and will be surrounded by kids who do the things you have banned, and believe they are "normal" and "good" things.

Some of my personal rules are:

  • Only whole foods in the house.
  • No soft drinks/mcdonalds/ice creams ever. They are not treats.
  • No regular television. When I do use my tv, it's to watch a movie or show I've chosen.
  • No mindless consumption of latest/prettiest things.

Has anyone enforced these things, or similar rules in the way that they go against the "norm"?

How do you handle other parents who believe they are caring and "treating" your kid by putting them in front of the tv with a big bowl of brightly coloured sugary sweets (or similar)?

What happens when your children are outside your control, such as a friends house, or daycare, or a school trip?

And lastly, how did things turn out when your kids reached an age where they could argue well and make their own decisions?

Just curious about it -- it's my biggest fear about having children, and I haven't seen people do this in real life who I could model.

It can be difficult enough keeping an amused, calm and understanding frame when throwing away junk that my girlfriend smuggled into the house :)