I understand how you feel when your parents put the pressure of doing well in school on you. My parents also used to be really strict. Now they don't even tell me to do my homework - they just expect me to do it. They started to stop pressuring me so much when I entered high school and realized I was old enough to know that I have to get my work done on my own. I've gotten C's and stuff before too, but I never really got lectured on it... they know I tried my best. Also, we never got allowance growing up, but one of the ways in which we DID get money from was grades - $10 for an A, and $5 for a B... or was it $5 for an A and $1 for a B... I don't remember lol.. But knowing I get money for good grades drove me to do better.