It happens every summer. The family will be in a nice routine, going out a reasonable amount in service and having normal life. Then there is an a$$embly, and then everything locks down. Movies are no longer OK. Music gets purged. Parents will go through teenagers' music collection, movies, and video games and throw away anything that is even slightly "bad". Curfews are imposed. Service is stepped up, often to unreasonable levels, in the extreme heat (and in places, August is the hottest month of the year and often the muggiest).
This year is no exception. These are the things I am expecting parents to do and that are going to result from this year's Grand Boasting Session.
(1) Children are going to have college pulled out from under their feet. Children who are 16 and 17 years old and were looking forward to going will no longer be able to. And those who are 18, and already have been accepted and have paid non-refundable deposits and invested time in them, are going to find themselves stopped from going. The message is that they should sacrifice, since they will be more than repaid later. Of course, this is going to mean more people staying with their parents past the age of 18.
(2) The Internet is going to be off-limits to many children. Some parents who have allowed their children online are now going to pull the plug on the computer. Many will stop subscriptions altogether, thinking that the Internet is nothing but trouble. For those still allowed online, controls are going to be a lot stricter. We will be seeing fewer children between 13 and 18 lurking on this site, and fewer joining (unless their parents get p*#$ed off at the Tower and join the site themselves).
(3) Music, books, and videos will be more tightly censored. Any books not from the Tower will be condemned by many. Some parents will allow their children to read fiction, but will be stricter about content. More likely is those who tightly censor or outright ban non-fiction books that are not required by school. This applies to science as well as religion and philosophy.
(4) There will be the usual crackdowns on music, videos, and going out in service that happen every year. Parents who have been normal in this area are urged to crack down. That means no more going in at noon--they are supposed to stay out all day. No more music with lyrics that suggest dating, having fun, or independent thinking in any way. The artwork has to be totally clean: anything a little too suggestive gets the whole album or video tossed. What had been acceptable before that wastefest is no longer.
Is it any wonder children dread this a$$embly worse than the dentist? It is bad enough that they have to sit through three days of bulls*** (next year, it is four days but only apostates have access to that information). But the inevitable purging of fun and cracking down on the misery is enough to make anyone dread the a$$emblies worse. I bet they can't wait for school to start so the parents can forget some of the points (unless they are even harder core. Then, they will impose new rules on school activities where none needed to be imposed or softer rules would have sufficed).