Hello you all!
I am a girl in tenth grade with really strict parents. Do any of you have advice about what I could do? Here are some of the restrictions that they hold on me:
->I can only hang out with my friends 2-3 times a month.
Even if I have no homework on a school day, they will not let me hang out. I can understand this I suppose, since it is a school day and all, but that still means I can go out with my friends for only about every other week. When I am allowed to hang out with my friends, the maximum is for 3 hours. I talked to my parents about it, and they said the reason was that they didn't want me to be too influenced by my peers. The thing is, my peers aren't bad people. They're wonderful, loving people; they don't drink or do drugs; they rarely swear; they don't care what clothes you wear, they still accept you. The problem is,
->I'm not allowed to date until i'm 18. Even when I'm 18, I still can't one-on-one date yet. It has to be GROUP dating. I can start one-on-one dating when I'm 20. Plus, I can't kiss a guy until i'm married to him, much less have premarital sex, not that I want to.
YEA. Talk about strict. So when my parents hear about my friends going out with guys, making-out with them, and basically just normal teen stuff, they freak out. I'm a pretty responsible person; people know me as someone they can depend on. I get straight A's at school, so grades aren't a problem. I rarely break curfews, and even if I do, it's only at most by 10 minutes. I don't drink or do drugs. I'm a bit hot-tempered, so I talk to my parents rudely sometimes, but I've been working on that and have improved a bit. My parents actually noticed that, so that's when they upped the amount of times I could hang out with my friends per month. From 2 times to 3. oh what joy. So it's really hard for me try to prove myself worthy of more privileges when I'm already not that bad a kid. Though I must admit, my room is terribly messy! Perhaps I could work on that..
->I get $2.50 US dollars ($5 Sing) for allowance weekly, excluding all necessities. So basically, I have $2.50 to splurge each week. Um.. YAY. not. I had to get a job, but during school it's hard to work. My eighteen year old brother got an allowance of $5 Us dollars ($10 sing) per week before he graduated from high school. It's not that my family's poor; we have a pretty average income. My brother and I have to depend on money from rich relatives during holidays such as Christmas.
->I have to dress conservatively. No tank-tops. No mini-skirts or short shorts. No bikinis of course. I can wear a moderate amount of make-up when I'm 16. Thank goodness I'm allowed to wear make-up at all.
I sat down and had a chat with my parents to talk about all this. My parents are nice and fair people. They listen to what I have to say. However, they are very conservative people, yet modern in other ways. I can't help but feel SO suffocated. I compare my circumstances with my friends'. I feel left out because I can't do the things that they do. I can't relate to them on some things. I know my parents want the best for me, but... they're SERIOUSLY strict. I'm not asking for much.. I've already tried talking to them so I don't know what else to do...
Any advice you could offer?
Thanks!
Boys are fun, its fun to flirt and like someone and be liked back.. but very rarely do high school relationships last after graduation. In regards to boys, I think you're better off focusing on school, activities and just going with the flow and not getting involved in a serious dating situation. But.. if there is a guy that you'd like to date, and even get the chance to on occasion, I don't think you're parents would know, unless you told them or came home covered in hickies, if you kissed him. If you're smart and safe, there's no harm in a kiss. Just make sure that the guy you're kissing is respectful and doesn't push for more. 
