SEASON RETURN - Seven West Media

SEASON RETURN

INTRODUCTION
WORLD’S STRICTEST
PARENTS is returning
soon to deliver another
dose of discipline
to Australia’s most
troublesome teens.
Hosted by Home and Away star Axle Whitehead,
it was the number one factual series of 2009,
averaging 1.5 million viewers nationally.
The fly-on-the-wall series pairs head-strong
Aussie teens with strict parents overseas.
Each week two of them are sent overseas to
live with families who believe in regulation and
respect. The new series will feature families
from the USA, South Africa and for the first
time an Australian family will play host to two
tearaway teens.
No swearing, no smoking, no wild parties
and early curfews. Can seven days of tough
love tame our wild teens? Or will these nononsense
parents meet their match? Our
Aussie parents are desperate to find out.
Executive producer Trent Chapman believes
the program offers teens that have gone off the
rails a chance to get their lives back on track
before it’s too late.
“These teens are out of control and their
parents are at their wits end,” he says. “The
trip is an opportunity to curb their selfdestructive
behaviour. More often than not they
return with a new outlook on life and ready to
rebuild their relationship with their family.”
WORLD’S STRICTEST PARENTS is returning
soon to Channel Seven.
These parents have tough rules. And even
tougher punishments. It’s a brave new world
for these out of control youngsters as they
learn to live by someone else’s rules.
WORLD’S STRICTEST PARENTS

HOST:
AXLE
WHITEHEAD
Axle Whitehead returns
to host WORLD’S
STRICTEST PARENTS, a
show he says no family
should miss. “Whether
you’re a teenager or a
parent, this show is a
must-see.”
The talented singer, actor and musician can
relate to the show’s naughty teens, admitting
he too was a “brat” as a teenager. “I put my
parents through their fair share of angst
and anguish,” the 29-year-old says. “I was
always in trouble and getting suspended
from school.”
After his wayward youth Axle turned a
corner, just like the show’s tearaways who
are all given a chance to turn their lives
around. “When I left school I auditioned for
the Music Conservatorium in Melbourne. The
fact I got in was a real confidence booster. As
long as you work hard and commit yourself,
you can do anything you want.”
Axle grew up on his family’s farm in country
Victoria. While his dad managed the
property, his mum instilled in him a love
of music. She’d often drag him and his two
older brothers along to all sorts of live music
shows. “At home, someone would always be
playing Bob Dylan, Paul Simon or Creedence
Clearwater on the stereo,” he remembers.
After finishing high school, he moved to
Melbourne to attend the prestigious VCA
(Victorian College of the Arts) to study music.
In 2003, he entered the first series of
Australian Idol and made it to the Top 20. He
then went on to host music show Video Hits
on Network Ten from 2004-2006.
In 2006, Axle returned to the family farm to
focus on his passion for making music. At
the beginning of 2007, Axle moved back to
Sydney to launch his recording career.
His debut single ‘I Don’t Do Surprises’ was
a Top 10 hit on the ARIA charts. His album
Losing Sleep was released through Roadshow
Music in August 2008 to rave reviews.
After guest starring on Home and Away in
2009 as rocker Liam Murphy, he joined the
cast permanently that same year. “I’ve been
taking classes for the last 18 months and it’s
wonderful to be able to put it into practice.”
Last year he was also crowned Cleo Bachelor
of the Year, beating competition from
sportsmen, actors and other personalities.
WORLD’S STRICTEST PARENTS

CHLOE
16, BRISBANE, QLD
Wild-child Chloe loves
nothing more than fist
fights and sneaking out
of home to go cruising in
cars with boys.
According to her mum, Debby, Chloe’s
temper is out of control. “When she’s angry
she punches walls and has even broken
her knuckles before. Chloe’s going to selfdestruct.
If she keeps going on this path, she
will end up going nowhere.”
Chloe has mood swings that affect the whole
family. “I control the household,” Chloe
boasts. “When I’m not happy, nobody’s happy.
When I’m angry, I scream at them and punch
the walls and tell them to shut the f*&$ up.”
Her parents are so fed up with her behaviour
that they’ve moved her into a caravan in
the backyard. “I got kicked out because I
constantly argue with mum and dad,” Chloe
says. “I break their rules all the time. No
drinking – I drink. No smoking – I smoke. Not
allowed to go out on a school night – I go out on
a school night. So, yeah, I break them a lot.”
Chloe’s father, Jeff, is heartbroken by her
behaviour. “It’s hard for me to understand
how our eldest daughter, who you love dearly,
can treat her mum and dad in that manner,”
he says. “I find it hard to cope with.”
Her mother Debby is worn out by the constant
fighting and worried about the influence Chloe
is having on her younger brother and sister.
“Chloe is ruling our roost and we try really
hard not to let her be that way,” Debby says.
“But it wears you down to the point where you
just can’t take it anymore.”
It’s not only her home life that’s suffering.
Chloe’s just been expelled from her
third school.
“I hate school, it’s bull#$*t,” Chloe says.
“People are always in your face. Teachers are
in your face. I can’t smoke at school and can’t
do what I want.”
Debby worries that Chloe is out of options.
“No other school in Queensland will take her”.
For Debby, it’s a constant struggle. Even getting
Chloe up in the morning starts a fight. “She will
kick me and swear at me every morning, that’s
how everyday starts with Chloe.”
WORLD’S STRICTEST PARENTS

CHRISTIAN
17, MELBOURNE
Christian’s parents
describe him as an
“anarchist.”
His worried mum Anne says, “He smokes, he
drinks, he’s dropped out of school, he’s got
no formal qualifications at all, he’s dabbled
in drugs, he’s dabbled in graffiti and criminal
actions. It’s enough to turn you grey overnight.
“He can charm anyone into thinking he’s
innocent and a nice boy, but underneath he
is an anarchist. He sees anyone in a position
of authority as a killjoy, as someone to stop
his pleasure.”
Christian’s parents first noticed a change in
his behaviour around the age of 14. “It was
like Jekyll and Hyde,” Anne says. “It wasn’t
quite overnight, but it was pretty close to
it. So we got the shock of our lives and we
weren’t prepared.”
Christian was a good student, but when he
hit high school, he started hanging out with a
different crowd.
“Year 9 was a disaster,” his mum says. “He
wagged 82 days! That’s more than a term.”
Eventually, Christian gave up on school
completely and dropped out in Year 11.
Christian says, “I just hate school so much.
I hate being restricted. I hate the fact that
everyone is the same, you’re all wearing the
same shit, you don’t get to do your own thing,
express yourself.”
These days Christian doesn’t like to get up
before 11am and then he doesn’t do much at
all except recover from the night before.
“I go hardcore with the drinking. My mates
too, because they drink so much I have to
keep up,” Christian says. “It becomes a
big game, seeing who can drink the most
and we all end up on our arses on the floor,
completely and utterly smashed. One night I
got so drunk I fell off the roof.”
The lowest point for Anne and Tim was
reporting Christian to the police as a missing
person. “Many times I thought that Christian
was dead,” says Anne. “Many times I thought
I’d get a call to go and identify his body.”
Christian’s dad Tim is just as concerned.
“He’s just put his pursuit of pleasure in front
of everything. He’s always challenging
our authority.”
WORLD’S STRICTEST PARENTS

WOLF CREEK, MONTANA
WIRTH FAMILY
Teens Chloe and
Christian will be
spending a week in
cowboy country, in a
remote part of America,
near Wolf Creek,
Montana.
They’ll be staying on Rocking “Z” Ranch with
Zack and Patty Wirth, who’ve raised their
kids on a combination of hard work, respect
and old-fashioned cowboy values.
Zack is a fifth-generation rancher while wife
Patty is an expert horse trainer. Together
they have six children. And, when it comes
to parenting, it’s their way, or no way. “We’re
dedicated parents,” says Zack. “We don’t get
pushed around.”
The Wirth’s believe raising children is like
breaking in a horse. “Horses are always
ready to take charge and if you let them take
charge then they become the boss,” says
Patty. “Which is somewhat like teenagers
because they’re always pushing to see what
the limits are.”
The Wirth’s ban their kids from smokes,
booze and bad language. “None of us,
including my parents cuss,” says youngest
daughter Anna. “It’s simply inappropriate
and unnecessary.”
And in this neck of the woods, there’s more
than just strict parents to contend with.
There’s grizzly bears, mountain lions and
coyotes roaming free.
So if the two Aussie teens are to survive a
week with these strict parents, they’ll need to
get back to basics, put in plenty of hard labour
and learn some old-school cowboy manners.
“We think we can teach a young person how
to accept who they are and improve their life
from here on,” says Zack.
HOUSE RULES!!!
• Hats off at the dinner table
• No work, no food
• No foul language
• No drinking
• No smoking
• Be polite
• Clean up after yourself
• Do your portion of the work
when told to do something
• If you break trust, you have
to earn it back
There’s no late night parties and sleeping in
for these tough cowboys and girls. From sun
up to sunset, it’s all work. “Hard work goes
with the territory,” says Zac. “We do not
differentiate between what’s a girl’s job and
what’s a boy’s job. We all do everything.”
WORLD’S STRICTEST PARENTS

ADRIANA
16, PERTH, WA
Adriana is a party girl
who doesn’t like to get
her hands dirty. “I don’t
think I should have to
help around the house.
I don’t have time,” she
says. “It’s mum’s role to
cook, clean, to do all of
that home stuff. And it’s
the teenagers’ role to go
out and have fun.”
Adriana makes sure she has plenty of time for
fun. She dropped out of school in Year 11 and
her social life is now her number one priority.
“I usually get smashed every weekend, I can’t
think of a weekend where I haven’t been.”
Adriana’s drinking is out of control. Her
mother, Kate, says alcohol turns her daughter
into a different person. “The drunk Adriana is
loud, rude, and obnoxious,” Kate says. “The
hung-over Adriana is depressing, nasty and
horrible. I don’t like her when she’s drunk and
I don’t like her when she’s hung-over, which is
pretty much most of the time.”
Even a liver infection and a warning from
her doctor hasn’t slowed down Adriana’s
partying. “The doctor told me that I wasn’t
supposed to drink for three years, but I
decided to keep drinking anyway,” she says.
One night Adriana snuck out of her window
and got so drunk she ended up in the
emergency ward. “One minute it was six
o’clock at night and I was drinking goon,
and the next minute it was five o’clock in
the morning and mum was yelling at me in
the hospital,” she says. “I don’t remember
anything that happened in between.”
Her mother is so sick of her sneaking
out that she’s resorted to putting bars on
Adriana’s bedroom window.
“Adriana lives from one party to the next,”
Kate says. “Monday to Friday, she is pretty
much in a bad mood. On the weekends she
just wants to party. She loves to drink, she
loves to dress up, she loves make up, she
loves doing her hair, she loves to go out. It is
literally just one party to the next. It’s what
she lives for.”
Her mother Kate is now at breaking point.
“Adriana was an extremely loving child,”
she says. “Up until she was about 14, she
was beautiful. From 14 to now it has just
progressed from bad to worse. I am really
desperate for her to change. If she does not
change I don’t know what else to do.”
WORLD’S STRICTEST PARENTS

NATHAN
17, MELBOURNE VIC
For consumer-crazy
teen Nathan, only the
best will do. “I love top of
the range stuff,” Nathan
says. “If something new
comes out, I generally
want it. Mum pays for
pretty much everything.”
Nathan’s mum Cathy works two jobs just to
make ends meet, but Nathan thinks nothing of
stealing money from her to make purchases
like laptops, stereos and televisions.
“Part of being a mum is definitely buying your
kids everything,” Nathan says. “You’re meant to
bring them up well aren’t you? I definitely think
I’m spoiled, but I’m not complaining at all.”
Nathan’s mother, Cathy, concedes, “I think I’ve
spoilt him and it’s come back to bite me.”
Despite spending all of Cathy’s money, Nathan
has no respect for his mum. “One word would
describe my mum and that’s a b*@!&.”
In the past year he’s dropped out of school,
run away from home and been picked up by
the police.
The 17-year-old boasts, “I love getting to the
point where I’m out of control.”
his way. He’s had a 360 degree turn around
in personality. He’s very lost at the moment.
I’ve given up. I don’t know how to guide him
because he doesn’t let me guide him anymore.”
Nathan’s parents split when he was very
young, and Cathy thinks this has had a lasting
impact on him. “He hasn’t had a male figure
around and I think that might have a lot to do
with it,” she says.
Nathan sleeps in most days until lunchtime
so he has plenty of energy at night to party.
“Mum doesn’t really like me going out, but I
just don’t listen,” Nathan says.
”I jump the back fence if I have to. A great
Saturday night for me is to pretty much get
f*$#@d up. I love getting to the point where
I’m out of control.”
Nathan has dropped out of school, and has
no plans to calm down in the near future.
“Life for me is pretty much just party until I
cannot physically party anymore,” he says.
“You only live once. What’s the point of
getting a full time job?”
For a tech-head like Nathan, a week in
remote outback Queensland will definitely be
a shock to his system.
“I use my laptop pretty much 24/7,” he says.
“I’m always on my phone whether it’s for
music or the Internet.”
For Nathan the city life will be a world away.
Cathy isn’t banking on a miracle makeover…
she just wants her little boy back.
“I don’t expect him to come back a completely
changed person. I just want to have my son
back, not the stranger he seems to be now.”
Cathy has no idea why her son had a sudden
attitude shift 18 months ago. “He was very
directed and now he just seems to have lost
WORLD’S STRICTEST PARENTS

AUSTRALIA
THE IRONSIDE
FAMILY
World’s Strictest
Parents’ first Australian
family, the Ironsides,
will be serving up a dose
of discipline - outback
style.
Mark Ironside is a grazier and pastor of
his local church. Together with wife Grace
they run a remote cattle station west of
Charleville, in outback Queensland.
Tearaway teens Nathan and Adriana will
spend a week on the 40,000 acre property.
The isolation will be tough for the teens, who
are used to all the mod-cons of city living.
“Many kids are shocked when they find out
there’s no phone reception,” says Grace.
“When most teenagers come here they think
they’ve come to the end of the earth. The
back fence is 30 kilometres away so there’s
nowhere to run away to.”
The Ironsides limit their kids’ access to the
internet, movies and music. And they only
receive Christian satellite TV channels.
The couple are no strangers to troubled
teens. They’ve been foster carers to so
many kids over the years they’ve lost count.
“We provide a stable, disciplined, loving
environment. We say what we mean and
mean what we say. But ultimately it’s up to
the children to decide if they want to change.”
The Ironsides are a traditional family who
believe hard work and discipline is the key
to good parenting.
“We believe in corporal punishment, the
stick or the wooden spoon,” says Mark.
“And we have a rule here – if you don’t work,
you don’t eat.”
Their children – Amy, 23, Elizabeth, 19, and
Matthew, 13 – describe their upbringing as
“very, very strict.”
Failure to do homework is punished
immediately with chores such as fencing,
cleaning out the cattle dog pens and mowing
the lawn.
But the kids understand it’s for their own
good. “They have rules that protect you,”
says Elizabeth.
There’s also a strict no drinking, smoking or
swearing policy in the Ironside household.
“We are firm parents,” Grace says. “We have
certain moral standards in our house and
there are consequences if rules are broken.”
HOUSE RULES!!!
• No alcohol
• No smoking
• No drugs
• No swearing
• No regular TV, only Christian
Television
• If you don’t work, you don’t eat
• Children must eat what’s in
front of them
• Daily chores – feed the
dogs, clean out the kennels,
make the bed, keep room tidy
• Privileges are withdrawn if
rules are disobeyed
• Church every Sunday
“The isolation is a shock factor,” adds Mark.
WORLD’S STRICTEST PARENTS

CORIE
16, ADELAIDE, SA
Corie’s quickly making
a name for himself as a
troublemaker.
“I’m always up for some mischief, wherever
I go,” Corie says. “Most of the time I live by
my own rules.”
His mum Elizabeth, who’s twice reported
him as a missing person, says, “In the last
year the police have rung four or five times
asking me to pick him up.”
Corie’s list of “hobbies” reads more like a
juvenile delinquent’s wrap sheet: “Stealing
things, smoking bongs, drinking,
and getting chicks.”
He’s been caught once for shoplifting, but
this hasn’t stopped him. It’s got to the point
where his mother can’t trust him, “Corie
takes money from me,” Elizabeth says, “I
take my handbag with me wherever I go.”
Corie’s dad left when he was just two and his
mother has raised him alone. “I’m trying to
be both mother and father, which is difficult
at times,” his mum says. “I think Corie would
like to see his dad, and be with him more, but
he finds it difficult because he is resentful,
about not seeing him when he was little.”
Corie’s behaviour has been getting more and
more out of control. “I noticed a big change
in Corie when he started high school,”
Elizabeth says. “He got new friends and new
influences and he started thinking, ‘This is
great. I’m going to be a bad boy’. He doesn’t
go to school. He quit his job because it was
in the way of his social life. He drinks and
smokes. He lies to me.”
Recently Elizabeth received a call in the
middle of the night to say that Corie was in
hospital after overdosing on drugs. “I was
really, really upset. You don’t want your kids
to go through that. I worry about where it’s
going to stop.”
WORLD’S STRICTEST PARENTS

THEA
16, NOWRA, NSW
High school drop-out
Thea is on the road
to nowhere.
After being expelled from boarding school
for sneaking out and getting drunk, Thea
lasted just one term at her next school
before being asked to leave.
She is now out of options and too lazy to
even seek the youth allowance. “If I could get
money without having to work I’d do it,” Thea
says. “But it’s too much effort to go down to
Centrelink and do that.”
Thea has no qualms about telling it how it
is. “I’m a b!&*%,” she says, “If I want to be a
b!&*% to you, I will be a b!&*% to you. I don’t
hide how I feel or what I think of someone. I
tell them.”
But it’s not just the laziness, booze and
bitchiness that’s cause for concern. Thea
has stolen her mother’s clothes, jewellery,
perfume and money so many times that
Tahnee has been forced to put a deadlock on
her own bedroom door.
Ever since her mum re-married and had
three more children, Thea has struggled
with her role in the family.
Thea’s mum Tahnee says, “I guess it’s just
a reflection of the bitterness that she has
towards me for having another family.”
Her stepdad Hamish is also struggling to deal
with Thea’s behaviour. “She treats her little
brothers terribly,” Hamish says. “They are
going to grow up knowing her as a disturbance
in the household, rather than a sister.”
Thea’s behaviour is now so bad that her
mother has been forced to give her an
ultimatum, “Live by our rules and fit in with
our family or go and live somewhere else,
because we can’t take it anymore.”
When her mum Tahnee and stepdad Hamish
went away on holiday, Thea used the house
to host a two-week party that was fuelled by
booze and boisterous teens.
WORLD’S STRICTEST PARENTS

TEXAS, USA
THE SIMONS
FAMILY
Aussie teens Thea and
Corie are heading to
Texas to spend a week
with the Simons family.
Their approach to parenting has been heavily
influenced by their years of military service.
They believe kids should be brought up with
old-fashioned manners, hard work and
fierce discipline.
From Port Lavaca in Texas, Laval Simons
spent 22 years in the military – including 15
years as an elite special forces “green beret”
in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
His wife Jennifer is a former Army nurse.
“We’re not afraid of being stern with our
children at all,” says Laval. “If they get mad
at us, so what? It doesn’t matter to me. They
can get glad like they got mad.”
In this household, the parents rule the roost.
“We are the parents,” says mum Jennifer, “and
they answer to us, not the other way around.”
The Simons have two children, Moriah, 17
and Milam, 14, who are both expected to
behave with military manners.
“Our kids always say ‘yes sir’ and ‘no sir’
if they’re addressed, or if they’re asked a
question,” says Laval.
For the Simons kids, every day brings a long
list of chores, even on weekends. They’re up
before dawn to feed all the animals on the
ranch, keep the lawns tidy, the kitchen clean
and their rooms spotless.
To make sure their schooling doesn’t slip, these
parents monitor their kids grades weekly.
And, in the Simons home, anything less than
an A or a B is unacceptable.
“When you start making bad grades and Cs
you’re going to start getting consequences,”
says Laval. And the consequences come
swiftly and severely.
“I’ve had my i-Pod, my phone, my laptop taken
away,” says Moriah. “I’ve had my make-up, my
jewellery taken away. I had my bedroom door
removed. My dad’s very strict.”
Port Lavaca is in Calhoun County, Texas. The
county’s passed local laws making it illegal
for students to drop out of school.
Serial trouble-makers are sent to a militaryrun
boot camp where students must take part
in tough army drills in addition to lessons.
Laval says, “The great thing about the
Calhoun County school system is you mess
up, you get clinked up.”
HOUSE RULES!!!
• Must say “sir” and “ma’am”
when addressed
• No drinking
• No smoking
• No swearing
• No dating before age 17
• Kids must do chores seven
days a week
• Must wake up at 0600
everyday
• Must dress modestly
• Must achieve at least a B
average at school
• Punishments include having
bedroom door removed
WORLD’S STRICTEST PARENTS

DILLAN
16, ADELAIDE, SA
Image-obsessed Dillan
spends more time on his
hair than he does on his
schoolwork.
“I spend about two-and-a-half hours a day
getting ready,” he says. “If you don’t look
good, there’s no point in living. I am the
hottest guy in school.”
And it’s not just the vanity.
Dillan’s mum Angy recalls, “The rebelling
started when he was about 12 or 13. It was
like he was a different child overnight.”
Dillan’s attitude changed dramatically and
he began drinking and smoking. Angy is
particularly worried about Dillan’s drinking,
which even he admits is out of control. “I’ve
been drinking at school recently and I get
drunk about four times a week,” Dillan says.
Dillan is openly gay, which his parents accept.
What they can’t accept is his behaviour, which
is worsening. His relationship with his
mother has deteriorated to the point they can
barely stand to be in the same room together.
“I fight with mum 99 per cent of the time,”
Dillan says.
He has no respect for the rules and boundaries
that his mother sets, and sometimes runs
away from home for days on end.
Angy has sleepless nights worrying about his
whereabouts. “Life is just a party for him,”
she says. “He’s defiant, he does what he
wants, when he wants. And he talks back
to anyone and everyone, teachers, police,
whoever he feels like. He has no regard for
authority whatsoever”
Dillan can’t see what all the fuss is about. “I
am perfect. I don’t need to change anything.”
WORLD’S STRICTEST PARENTS

HANNAH
16, BENDIGO, VIC
Brash and outspoken,
Hannah is a girl who’s
out of control and not
afraid to speak her mind.
“Yeah, I have an attitude
problem, but so what?”
she says.
Her mum Debbie is at breaking point.
“Hannah does not live by boundaries. She’ll
do what she wants, when she wants. She
sleeps all day until 3pm and won’t lift a finger
around the house.”
But foul-mouthed Hannah doesn’t see the
problem. “Mum asks me to help around the
house, but I just tell her to f*!% off or ignore
her,” she says.
It’s not just her mother who cops Hannah’s
abuse. She’ll talk back to anyone, even the
police. “I called this one cop a f#&% wit,”
she says. “Cops don’t intimidate or scare
me. They are just annoying. I ignore rules. I
don’t see the point of them. No one’s got the
right to tell me what to do.”
Hannah’s given up on school and can’t be
bothered holding down a job because it
would “get in the way of partying.” This
means Debbie is funding her daughter’s
lifestyle, including her phone bill which is
often hefty. Hannah sends up to 500 text
messages a day.
Hannah is not used to hearing the word
“no” and when she does, you had better be
prepared for revenge. “Dad wouldn’t give
me alcohol,” Hannah says, “so I let his tyres
down and stole his phones.”
Although her parents are distraught, Hannah is
more philosophical about her behaviour, “Why
get so serious when I could die tomorrow? Life
should be all about having fun.”
WORLD’S STRICTEST PARENTS

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
DE KOCK
FAMILY
Aussie teens Dillan and
Hannah will be staying
with South African couple
Andrew and Charnell
de Kock, who believe
the key to bringing up
angelic kids is through
clean living and the strict
moral teachings of the
Mormon faith.
Andrew imports medical technology,
while wife Charnell is a part-time student
counselor and special needs teacher. Three
of their four children are students while the
eldest is a missionary in Uganda.
“Our religion isn’t just something we go to on
Sunday, it’s a way of life,” says Andrew. “We
are trying to live a Christ-like life.”
And in the de Kock house, this means
plenty of rules.
“We have rules with internet access, we have
rules with behaviour and code of conduct, we
have rules with language, we have rules with
interaction with people around them, we have
rules with chores,” says Charnell. “The rules
are there for them and for us to function in
society and to function as a family.”
The de Kock kids can only watch PG rated
television. Andrew and Charnell also keep
a close eye on the music they listen to, the
movies they watch and the company they
keep. “We monitor their friendships - that’s
important,” says Charnell.
This family has its own 10 point code of
conduct, incorporating trust, work and
respect. Every child in the de Kock family is
expected to strictly abide by this code.
“Teenagers have too much freedom,” says
Andrew. “And as a result I feel that they perhaps
are behaving in a way that is unbecoming of
decent young men and young women.”
The de Kocks believe a healthy body is as
important as a healthy mind. You won’t find
any tea, coffee or cola in their house. As a
matter of fact, you won’t find any caffeinated
drinks or foods that are considered addictive.
“It’s important to fill the body and mind with
wholesomeness,” says Charnell.
Andrew adds, “We’d like to show Hannah
and Dillan that happiness can be found by
adherence to principals.”
HOUSE RULES!!!
• Everyone must follow the
strict Mormon beliefs
• No drinking caffeinated
beverages or addictive foods
• Everyone must perform their
share of the house work
• No smoking
• No drinking
• No swearing
WORLD’S STRICTEST PARENTS

AZA
17, SYDNEY, NSW
Raver girl Aza has
overdosed on ecstasy
three times. And she
still won’t stop chasing
the next high.
“I woke up in hospital going, ‘What happened?’”
Aza says. “Most people would think that I’d
learn from that but I stopped taking them for a
while then I got back into them.”
Aza thinks nothing of mixing a cocktail of
drugs and alcohol every weekend. “I’m a party
girl. I’m a raver, I love to have fun. I smoke,
do pot, drink, do pills. And anyone who thinks
there’s a problem with it can just get stuffed.”
Since dropping out of school, Aza has had
plenty of time to party. “I usually go out about
four days a week,” Aza says. “My weekend
starts on Thursday and finishes on Monday
morning. I usually take about three pills a
night when I go out, maybe more.”
For Aza’s mother, Natalie, every weekend is
a nightmare. “My worst fear is waking up
one morning and her not being here,” Natalie
says. “I don’t think I could go on after that.
What would I do with my life if she wasn’t
here? She’s the centre of my universe.”
Aza’s days are spent sleeping, hanging with
her boyfriend and watching TV.
Aza doesn’t want to hold down a job as it
gets in the way of her partying and Natalie
is at her wits end. “For the last eight or nine
months she’s been doing nothing,” Natalie
says. “I’m lucky if she gets out of bed before
ten and when she does, all she will do is sit
on the computer or watch TV.”
Natalie’s noticed a massive change in Aza’s
moods since she started doing drugs. “She’s
become a lot more argumentative, a lot more
moody,” says Natalie.
“She has massive mood swings and has
become a lot more unpleasant to live with.
She’s lazy and doesn’t do anything
around the house.”
WORLD’S STRICTEST PARENTS

TROY
17, BRISBANE, QLD
Rev-head Troy is on
the verge of losing his
license. And he’s only
had it for six months.
“The thing I like about cars is going real fast,
the smell of the burnt rubber, the sound of
the screeching. It just gets your adrenalin
running,” Troy says.
“I worry sick about him and that car,” says
his father Doug.
His mum Julie can barely sleep at night,
worrying about what might happen.
“Troy thinks he’s bullet proof,” Julie says. “My
greatest fear with Troy is that he’s on a path
of destruction. I’m not sure whether it will be
driving his car, alcohol or even killing someone.
We don’t even know who he is anymore.”
Three months before he was due to finish
school, Troy was expelled. But he says he’s not
worried. “When I got expelled it was more of a
relief because I wasn’t going to school anyway.
So I get to sit at home, sleep, go out and party
whenever I want. It’s pretty cool,” he says.
All Troy wants to do is drive fast cars, party
all night and sleep all day.
His father says his behaviour has been
spiralling out of control. “Week by week,
month by month, his bad behaviour is
escalating. He’s going out, he’s not telling us
where he’s going. We ask over and over and
he refuses to tell us.”
But Troy sees things differently. “They have
rules but I don’t abide by them so they’re not
really rules to me,” Troy says. “I just do what
I want. I don’t really care what they think.”
Troy’s parents are desperate. They want
him to grow up, get a job and take some
responsibility.
Troy has other plans. “If I could have my way I’d
win the lotto and just keep partying all my life.”
“I’m concerned the police are going to knock
on my door and tell me that my son’s dead.”
WORLD’S STRICTEST PARENTS

OHIO, USA
THE MCDONALD
FAMILY
The McDonald family
believe a mix of
compulsory study,
church and chores is the
key to good parenting.
Nathan McDonald is the Pastor at his local
church in the small town of Zanesville, Ohio.
His wife Cassandra is an opera singer and
music teacher.
Teens Troy and Aza will spend a week with
the McDonald’s, living by a routine of strict
religious beliefs and ultra conservative values.
Cassandra says, “You’re not going to be a
raunchy teenager that I can’t stand. That’s
not happening here. I tell my students there
are two ‘L’s’ I don’t deal with ‘Lazy’ and ‘Liar.’
If you’re either one of them go study with
someone else.”
The McDonald’s have five adult children, and
an 18-year-old foster son, Bryan. All of them
were made to work and study hard.
“There’s no drinking. No smoking,” she says.
“I’m not dealing with that because you’re in
my care and you represent me. Not you.”
For Troy and Aza, it’s going to be a crash
course in old school discipline.
“When you blow it the first time, I don’t trust
you. And if I don’t trust you, there’s going to
be limitations everywhere,” Cassandra says.
Troy and Aza aren’t just facing a strict family.
Ohio has some of the toughest laws in
America. Even underage drinking can mean
six months in jail.
“I absolutely won’t tolerate it,” Cassandra
says. “The most extreme punishment
will be going to jail.”
HOUSE RULES!!!
• No drinking
• No smoking
• No bad language
• No sex before marriage
• Mandatory bible study
• Must cook, clean and do your
own laundry
• Compulsory charity work
• Compulsory study time
• Compulsory music lessons
“From seventh grade on, they had to do
their own laundry, cook, clean and iron,”
Cassandra says. “I’m nobody’s maid.”
The McDonald’s older children have earned a
dozen university degrees between them.
WORLD’S STRICTEST PARENTS

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
KELLY BLACK
SEVEN PUBLICITY MELBOURNE
T: (03) 9697 7766
E: KBLACK@SEVEN.COM.AU
yahoo7.com.au/tv
WORLD’S STRICTEST PARENTS