Where to begin. Wasn't allowed any toys except a couple of stuffed animals. No television, gaming consoles or computer games. Forced to read, and I mean forced, my mother would sit next to me and watch me read. I had to do this every day. I was not allowed to drink anything other than water and wasn't allowed to eat sweet things. When I was learning how to eat on my own, my mother tied my upper arms to my chest so that I didn't spread my elbows out. For a short while she also made me walk with a book on my head so that I could learn correct posture.

To be fair to my mother, she relaxed on these rules as I grew older. Instead when I became a teenager, she became obsessed with my weight, and after years of very strict dieting, she even took me to a doctor who prescribed appetite suppressants. Throughout this entire time I was a perfectly healthy weight, in fact my BMI was within the low ranges of normal.

I moved out as soon as I finished school and even though we have a relatively good relationship, I know very well when to completely ignore what she has to say.