This is perhaps one of the topics that many parents don’t like to talk about, especially overly strict parents. Its avoidance doesn’t do any good since people, mostly new parents are looking for answers to it while in the search for the best parenting style. Strict parenting (authoritarian parenting) is a parenting style whereby parents are extremely strict and place high expectations on their kids with little to no responsiveness. So, do strict parents create sneaky child?

In the modern world, children are under a lot of pressure related to education and home. This pressure needs to be released for them to have a normal life and enjoy. Since strict parents are on their necks and don’t give them choices or even support them, they end up sneaking on them to release this pressure. This might even call for them to act on impulse since they feel trapped and unable to do what they need to.

The Overly Strict Parents

Overly strict parents make it impossible for children to have a social life. They need then to do what they expect unquestionable obedience and respect. This means that parents don’t understand their kids’ attitudes and only see using ‘harsh’ and ‘hot’ as the only way they can communicate effectively with their children. Even if it’s protecting a child, being over-protective to the point of taking away a child’s freedom hurts them instead of protecting them.

Children whose parents use too much control over them, whether in terms of discipline and their activities, have a higher risk of anxiety, low self-esteem, and drug and substance abuse. They will hide these sins from their parents and some won’t even notice.

 Since there is no mutual agreement between children and their parents, children will try their best to get their way. This is where many end up being sneaky. A child will seem obedient in the eyes of parents just to make sure that her parents don’t get them.

A child of strict parents cannot be open with his or her parents because of the kind of response or treatment the parents will give in return. Since a child will need to live a comfortable life, they will do what they want secretly rather than openly.

That is why many children of strict parents behave well while at home or around their parents and differently when their parents are not around.

Do Strict Parents Raise the Best Liars

A thing to understand about children is that they will always try their best to stay out of trouble. A child will tell you exactly what you want to hear so that you can let them be.

As a parent, this is something that you will experience from your child while as a toddler, pre-scholar, or teenager. This happens because children start realizing that parents don’t know everything.

When they are aware that you are not good at mind-reading, they will squirm with the truth and decide what to tell you. One thing that we all have to be on the same page on is that lying is part of child development and behavior. When they realize they don’t have to be completely honest while talking with people, then they will lie.

Among toddlers, pre-scholars, and teenagers, teenagers are the ones who are most likely to lie effectively. This is due to their experience and more developed minds. When a toddler lies, you can easily know the truth, but when a teenager lies, the chance of knowing the truth is slim. 

Do Strict Parents Create Sneaky Children

Research on the relationship between parenting style and child behavior is complex and ongoing, and the relationship between strict parenting and children’s sneakiness is not fully understood. However, there are studies suggest that strict parenting can lead to children feeling more inclined to engage in sneaky behavior as they may feel that they need to keep their actions hidden in order to avoid punishment. Additionally, strict parenting may lead to children feeling less comfortable expressing their needs and wants openly, which could also contribute to sneaky behavior.

It’s crucial to note that strict parenting is not the only parenting style that can lead to sneaky behavior, and other factors such as a child’s temperament, environment, and individual experiences can also play a role. It’s also important to remember that each child is different and may respond differently to different parenting styles.

Instead of strict parenting, a balanced approach that combines clear rules and consequences with warmth, understanding, and communication can be more effective in raising children who are honest and open.

According to research, lying is a normal thing and the various important skills such as emotional control and perspective-taking are the same ones that enable a kid to lie. This is yet another supporting fact on strict parents create sneaky child. 

The world is changing and some of the things that worked in the past, are no longer working in the modern world. In the past, and also in the present world, people do believe that obedient or rather better-behaved children are brought up using the strict parenting style.

Does Strict Parents have any Demerits

Although this style of parenting has its benefits, it does more harm than good. For example, children brought up by parents using this style have low self-esteem, anger issues, anxiety, and they are poor performers academically.

These are just some of the many disadvantages of strict parenting on kids. The kind of pressure that these parents have on their children is sometimes unbearable and some even think of sneaking and running away from their homes.

Let’s assume your parent send you to the drug store to get Aspirin, an analgesic drug. On the way back, you meet an old lady carrying groceries and ask for your help.

You decide to help and get the lady to her place, which is a 1-hour walk. When you get home, your overly strict parent questions you where you have been because it can’t take one that long to get to a drug store while is a 15-minute walk away. So, what do you do?

Most probably you will have to lie. This is the only way you will avoid yelling or punishment from her since you would not what to get punished when there is an alternative for avoiding it. No child loves punishment no matter how light it is.

According to Aha!Parenting, children brought up with harsh discipline tend to be more rebellious. The anger and discomfort that a child experiences while at home, make him rebellious. He might even go a step further and get emancipation. This makes him independent before reaching the majority age. Since the child assumes responsibility for her or his welfare, parents are no longer in control or legally obligated to support or protect the kid.

The Bottom Line

If a child is aware and fully convinced that her parent won’t listen to her opinion or explanation, she will lie to get her way.

Children of overly strict parents do not feel safe while telling the truth hence they make lying part of their day-to-day conversation with their parents. Since they get used to lying, gradually they stop lying to their parents alone and lie to other people as well.

A strict parenting style improves a child’s readiness and ability to lie. Since a child is always looking for new lies to avoid punishment, the act of fibbing is perfected and children become quicker to lying and sneakier. Therefore, it’s beyond doubt that strict parents create sneaky child.  

Although children raised by strict might become successful in life, most of them end up being unhappy, have anxiety while some try as much as possible not to raise their children the way they were raised.