Woman shared her parents drilling her window shut and taking away bedroom door. The internet says they were not ‘strict,’ but something else entirely

A TikTok user named @eriniveson recently shared a series of personal stories about her childhood that have sparked a massive conversation online, Daily Dot reported. While she initially framed her upbringing as just being under the care of extremely strict parents, the reactions from viewers have shifted the narrative toward something much more serious.

One of the most concerning details she shared was the physical modification of her living space. She recalled that her bedroom door was removed for nearly an entire year as a form of punishment. Even more alarming, she mentioned that her parents drilled her bedroom window shut after she was caught sneaking out of the house.

She noted, “I’m pretty sure that was a fire hazard,” which is a terrifying thought for any kid to deal with in their own home. To get around these restrictions at night, she and her sisters would climb out of their windows onto the roof if they needed to use the bathroom or get water, as they were barred from leaving their rooms.

Her parents also exerted control over her basic necessities and personal privacy

She explained that her clothing would sometimes be taken away and locked in the basement, forcing her to ask for permission just to get dressed. If she wore something forbidden, like a specific pencil skirt, her mother would make her change clothes right at school.

This level of oversight extended to her digital life as well. Her stepfather once printed her text messages from the family’s phone carrier and made her read them aloud. When she started working a job in high school, her parents stopped buying her essential items like socks or underwear. She also had to pay for her own extracurricular activities, including a dance team she was later pulled from as punishment.

The discipline methods within the home were equally rigid. When she and her sisters argued, they were forced to sit on the couch and hold hands for as long as seven or eight hours. She also described being left standing in a corner for an entire day, with only short breaks for meals or bathroom trips. Food was used as a tool for compliance, too. If she didn’t want to eat a specific dinner, that same meal would be served to her again for breakfast and lunch until it was finally finished.

Viewers were quick to react to these stories, and the general consensus is that these actions cross the line from strict parenting into abuse. One commenter put it bluntly, stating, “I had strict parents. She had abusive parents.” Another person shared their own struggle with understanding childhood trauma, noting that the video might help other kids realize they need to speak up to a safe adult.

A different commenter shared a story of childhood neglect, writing, “I’m 37 but had the opposite experience. It was only last year that I realized how neglected I was as a child. It was like Lord of the Flies. Family? WTF is that? You’re telling me it’s not normal to be alone ALL time? It’s been difficult learning how to be a person this late in the game.”

The creator eventually moved out of her parents’ house for good at age 17. Because her mother believed that anything brought into the house belonged to the household, she wasn’t even allowed to take her own belongings with her when she left.

She mentioned that there are plenty more stories from her childhood left to share, suggesting this is just the beginning of her account.