Did you have a 'sheltered' upbringing?

Not sheltered, restricted would better describe my upbringing. I wasn't allowed to go to the school at the bottom of the road because it was a church school so I had to walk a mile to school and then my school friends didn't live near me so I didn't see them out of school. My parents had a car but driving children to play dates didn't ever happen.

I did go to guides and brownies but not allowed to go to church parade.

My father was a violent bully and had to control everything I did and my sister and I had to do the housework and wait on our brothers. She had to leave school at 15 but because I was 'clever' I was allowed to take my O levels at 16. As soon as the results came I was sent out to work and not allowed to take A levels. Didn't matter what job I got as it was only to fill in the gap until I was 'pregnant and in the kitchen'! It was only when I left home at 19 that I discovered I wasn't an idiot!

As you can imagine I have been very different with my family!

You have my sympathies. We were brought up to be independent and to go to youth clubs and have our own social lives. There was probably almost too much pressure to go out but I don't think it did us any harm. I've been married for 45 years and am a strong, independent woman with a strong independent daughter. The last few years would not have been manageable if I wasn't .
It sounds as if you have all now taken responsibility for your own lives. My husband always says we either model our parenting on our parents or deliberately do the opposite.
At the end of the day, we all just try to do our best.

I had a sheltered upbringing too, sans father, my granddad being the head of our household. He wasn't domineering though, just conservative and probably thought he was shielding us from the harsh realities of life. He was a loving stand in dad, never raised his voice, patient and caring. We felt cherished by the three adults who raised us. I sometimes think what my grandparents must have gone through at that time when their eldest daughter (my mother) arrived on their doorstep in the early 1950s with three small children in tow. We were stigmatised at school for coming from "a broken home" but despite that, my upbringing was indeed sheltered.

I remember being really shocked when I first found out about abortions and I think I must have been in my late teens. I had never been to a hotel until I started working, at around 19. Didn't know about alcohol, there was one bottle of sherry in our house which would be brought out at New Year for the grown ups, who would have one small glass each. And then it would be put away for next year! I had a lot to learn.

I had a sheltered and very strict up-bringing and it took me years to truly forgive my 'parents' because it was stifling. Then when I was thirty I discovered that they weren't my parents but my grandparents. My older sister it turned out was my mother. Obviously, they thought that as she had made a 'mistake', they'd better be strict with me. Oh hum!

I didn't go out in the evening apart fom guides til I went to university!

Very much like you HildaW. My father was domineering and intransient too and it led me to leave home at far too young an age. So it wasn't exactly 'sheltered' but it was very strict and not really loving. Basically I vowed to do everything differently when I had kids, and I did!

I did too and it was great having a Dad that loved me so much, it could have been disasterous though had I not found a husband that was also willing to act as my protector.

Wasn't even allowed Brownies but looking back I wonder if it was the cost of uniform

I agree with all of the above, all true in my case also. I too had to get away from suffocating parents, and then from a domineering husband. Luckily no 2 is much better ...

Mine was a sort of 'sheltered' but more from having a very domineering father who only wanted us to see the world through his eyes. It led me to being very keen to please and also, rather dangerously, very easily led by men who I believed to be attractive (basically good looking rats). It all ended in tears of course - an unhappy marriage and a tendency to put the men in my life first. I think I am slowly growing out of it (am 58). Thankfully husband No 2 is much better.

Also because everything was vetted at home (TV progs, friends (hardly any) clothing etc) it took me a long time to learn true values. Yes, Phillip Larkin was right!

I did, though I occasionally rebelled. I wasn't allowed to go to the dance hall like my peers did and except for Friday (Guides night) I wasn't allowed to go out on week nights. I had to get 4000 miles away in my 20s before I fully threw off the shackles.