For someone growing up with strict parents, a lot of the times you weren’t always entitled to the things “normal” people were. Most times you friends never understood why you had to leave the mall so early, or call you mom if the plans have changed mid-hangout. Here’s a few things that resonate with people raised by strict parents:

1. If you asked once, you don’t have the luxury of asking again.
You would ask your parents once, and only once, if you could hang out at someone’s house. You never understood why your friends would think that “asking them again” would make any difference. You also always had to wait until they were in a good mood before asking for anything.

2. You didn’t even bother asking to sleepover a friend's house.
Your parents didn’t trust your friends family enough to leave you there all night without knowing what kinds of unhealthy snacks and dangerous board games you might be playing.

3. At the rare occasion that you were allowed out (after 3-4 days of mental preparation to ask and a few hours of interrogation by your parents), you were always the first one to leave the hangout.

4. You’re cautious about telling your parents jokes because they either laughed it off or they immediately began lecturing you for a few hours before sending you off to your room.

5. Having a missed call from your parents on the rare occasion that you were allowed out felt like a boulder crushing your lungs with every passing minute you don't call back. Before returning the call you mentally prepared an excuse as to why you didn’t answer your phone. And if they called back a second time before you had the chance to respond, hell froze over.

6. Family dinner conversations revolved around your academics and class schedule—never about your social or love life. As far as your parents were concerned, you didn’t have either.

7. You always heard the same questions whenever asking to go somewhere far or unknown. “Where are you going?” “Who’s going to be there?” “Will there be adults?” “Let me talk to their parents” Once it got to that point, you gave up on wanting to go altogether.

8. Hell would break loose if your parents walked in on a kissing scene while you were watching TV. You panicked for the channel button if you heard footsteps approaching. If you were too late, you most likely didn’t get to finish that episode of Pretty Little Liars

9. You’ve become a master of lying and sneaking around. You still do all the time.