A mom recently took to social media to share the rules she has for her kids during the school year, and although some people think she’s being a good mom and setting up her kids for success, others think her rules are far too strict. The mom, Vidya Gopalan (known as @queencitytrends on social media), made it clear that these rules are simply what works for her family — but that didn’t stop people from suggesting her rules make the family’s house sound like a “prison.”
Yikes.
Her rules are not exactly outlandish, but people still think they’re far too inhibiting.
Apparently, many parents draw the line at not allowing their kids to watch TV on weekdays during the school year. In her Get Ready with Me video, Vidya explained that her teen is not allowed to watch TV or play phone games from Monday to Thursday. “Obviously, there’s some flexibility to these rules,” the mom admitted. She noted that her daughter is currently “obsessed” with The Summer I Turned Pretty, so she let her watch some new episodes of the series on weekdays.
In response to this first rule, one person wrote, “I love ur content but no Tv is crazy they should get to relax and watch a few episodes.” Turns out, this issue is pretty contentious. Some parents argued that the teen can watch TV from Friday to Sunday, which is enough.
Others argued that the teen should be able to make more choices for herself. Another person wrote, “No tv Monday thru Thursday is a lil crazy. They do 8 hours of school, a few hours of homework and [extra]curriculars, they can’t unwind with an episode or 2 of tv bc it’s a weekday?”
The mom also made it clear that she will not drop off anything at school if her teen forgets it at home.
The second rule in Vidya’s video is all about teaching responsibility. “You have to pack everything you need the night before for school,” the mom said in the video. “Change of clothes for sports, water bottle, iPad, homework. If you forget it, I will not be dropping it off.”
She described her third rule as “really important” for her family: No phones nearby while doing homework because it’s too distracting. The mom explained that her daughter had about two hours of homework to do the day prior, so her phone remained downstairs the entire time.
The mom said her next rule ‘might be controversial.’
@queencitytrends Keep in mind…this is what works for us. Of course yall can do whatever you want in your home 🏡 that works for you 😘 #strictparents #schoollife #parentsoftiktok #socialmedia #momsoftiktok ♬ original sound – Vidya
And she was not wrong. Vidya said she expects her kids to get A’s in school. “Are they gonna stumble here and there?” the mom questioned. “Of course. But the expectation is to do really well in school.”
Additionally, because sleep is a priority for her kids, the mom does not let her children keep their phones in their rooms at night. She also revealed that she periodically checks her kids’ phones.
“Personally, I don’t think any of these rules are really that strict,” the mom concluded. But some of her followers definitely disagreed. Their comments were pretty harsh too.
“so happy I’m not your daughter,” one critic commented. Another person wrote, “at this point this is just prison.” Several people suggested that these “strict” rules might damage the mom’s relationship with her children. “they not talking to you after 18💔,” a third critic wrote.
Even though not all of the critics’ comments were that harsh, several people still argued that “Strict parents raise sneaky kids.”
But others don’t think the rules were all that strict.
Several parents jumped to the mom’s defense and argued that she’s simply being a good mom. “None of this is controversial, I think it’s a necessity,” one of them commented. “Youre protecting them and teaching them responsibility!!!” Another person assured the mom that the rules are “not strict at all” and an example of “great, involved parenting.”
Some held a more nuanced view and agreed with the mom generally but took issue with some of her rules. “As an education major and teacher I LOVE all of these rules except the all A’s expectation,” one of them wrote. “It’s not healthy, you can encourage good grades without them HAVING to have ALL A’s…”
A few people pointed out that screen time isn’t everything. Sure, Vidya’s kids can’t use their phones or watch TV a lot during the week, but that doesn’t mean they’re not allowed to have any fun.
“You guys are acting like she’s raising them in a prison,” one commenter wrote, addressing the critics. “They travel, have fun, have loved wonderfully. Just because you guys consider screen time to be the only way to have fun and connect- doesn’t mean it’s the same for other cultures. This teaches them discipline + how to prioritize themselves.”
