A ‘super strict’ mother prides herself on being the boss in her household, by making her children live under strict rules.
Elena Leeming from York only lets her children watch television once a week and even throws away their toys if they are left outside – no matter how expensive.
Clive, six, and Violet, five, have been doing odd jobs since the tender age of three – and they still ‘haven’t eaten a Haribo in their lives’.
The two young people are only allowed to watch television on Sundays and are limited in the amount of sweet treats they can receive.
But the 39-year-old mother of two thinks her tough parenting style is the best way to “prepare children for life.”
Elena explained that they will be better off in the long run and emphasized that her children are “happy and healthy.”
‘I like to see that the children learn in everything they do. It is important that they understand what to eat and what to do,” she said.
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‘They are healthy, happy and therefore have a good sleep routine.
“I think parents get a little loose and don’t really discipline their kids, but this way I prepare them for life.”
Elena revealed the reasoning behind her strict parenting, saying neither she nor her husband Darren Leeming, 54, was raised with any life skills.
Elena wanted to make sure her children understood how to cook and do household chores to become independent – so she started teaching them at an early age.
From the age of three, they load the washing machine and do the gardening.
Elena confessed that her son has breakfast ready by the time she comes downstairs in the morning.
“Instead of sitting there yelling at breakfast, they can do it themselves,” she said.
In addition to performing household chores, Elena also wants her children to be informed about healthy eating.
Clive and Violet should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and drink at least a liter of water.
The two also shouldn’t eat heavily processed foods or artificially flavored snacks like candy and chips.
The young people are allowed to eat one sugary food per day from a list of approved types, such as yogurt, ice cream and cookies.
But when push comes to shove, no carbonated drinks are allowed for the pair, not even sugar-free ones.
“When they get treats, they say ‘no thanks, they’re not good for me’ and throw them in the trash,” she said.
Watching television is only allowed on Sundays, while tablets can only be used for ‘educational games’ such as spelling challenges.
“With screen time, it’s like an addiction. I don’t want them to develop that addiction,” Elena said.
The primary school children also have to pack up and finish one activity before moving on to the next.
If they don’t follow these strict rules, their toys will be gone forever, because their mother isn’t shy about following through on her threats.
‘I was on the phone once and they turned the house inside out. “I gave them five minutes to clean up, but they couldn’t get it done in time,” she revealed.
“So I put the toy in a black bag and took it to the thrift store the next day, no matter how new or expensive it was.
‘The following weeks the books were on the shelf and the toys were cleared away; they learned from it and I never had to do that again.’
Elena is willing to go to great lengths to instill discipline so that her children learn not to do ‘stupid things’.
“My daughter tied a knot in her backpack that was really hard to get undone, so I made her untie it while she was standing outside in the rain so she wouldn’t do it again,” she added.
“We have reward cards and they lose stars if they don’t go to the toilet before they leave the house and then need it while we’re away.”
While many parents may view this as overly strict, Elena believes it is best for children, whom she hopes will be “strong leaders.”
“Everyone can have their own opinion and they can raise children the way they want,” she explained.
‘But mental health is on the rise and people today no longer have resilience. I want my children to become strong leaders.”